


Lost City

by Whiskey_With_Patron



Series: Legends [2]
Category: Hollywood Undead (Band)
Genre: Angst, Angst with a Happy Ending, Fantasy AU, Flashbacks, Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder - PTSD, So much angst, and i think flashback deaths count, but its modern fantasy now, dylan is going to Suffer, ignore all the other tags there WILL be a happy ending, major character death is there bc they eventually die in the flashbacks
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-03-17
Updated: 2021-01-25
Packaged: 2021-03-01 02:02:10
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence, Major Character Death
Chapters: 30
Words: 106,961
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/23187469
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Whiskey_With_Patron/pseuds/Whiskey_With_Patron
Summary: (this is a sequel to Legends, so I suggest you read that first)The bridge of black rocks she had created to reach this place crumbled behind her. She didn’t want anyone else to find out where she had gone. The only other person she wanted on her side could get here the same way. Whether he would do so, however, remained to be seen. He might still side with his hero friends. Wouldn’t that be a disappointment?He wouldn’t want to stay with them once he remembered what they’d done.She reached back and grabbed the spear off her back in both hands. Her dragon gazed at it, electric sparks flying from his eyes in excitement. She grinned.She had a Great Dragon to kill.
Series: Legends [2]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1668658
Comments: 133
Kudos: 31





	1. Strange Dreams

**Author's Note:**

> here's the sequel to Legends i've been wanting to post for weeks now! since we're all pretty much quarantined, i've got more time to write so i figured i'd stick with Tuesday and Saturday updates for the time being. enjoy this garbage fire because i already have abut 10 chapters prewritten and i'm way too excited to post them!
> 
> also, i have put all of the important dragons i've made into one big tumblr post, so [here is a link to them](https://falsehood-rising.tumblr.com/post/612856052718927872/shade-and-another-dragon-that-is-important-later) and i hope i didn't fuck up that link

Jorel woke to see two bright yellow eyes staring at his face.

He smiled. “Hey Tiger.”

His cat yawned, indifferent to his owner’s greeting. He laid down on Jorel’s chest and curled up to go back to sleep.

Vanessa rolled over in bed and draped her arm over Jorel. “Morning,” she mumbled, not even half awake.

He sighed. “We should feed Tiger.”

Vanessa snuggled up closer. “No. Sleep time.”

“It’s nine-thirty,” he said.

“Sleep,” Vanessa repeated sleepily.

Jorel raised a hand to scratch Tiger on the head. “I had a weird dream,” he said, wracking his brain to remember what he had seen in his sleep.

Vanessa raised her head just enough to look at him, her eyes squinted through the light of the sun through the window. “Another one?” she muttered. “Was it about dragons again?”

“Yeah.”

“Was it a nice one?”

He shook his head. “No. There was this one small dragon. It was dead in a forest, and I think its head was cut off? I got sad about it and attacked someone. Then they killed me.” He furrowed his brow as the details of the dream slowly came back to him. “I... I think the person was Aron?”

“Like, Deuce? The asshole you kicked from your band?”

He shrugged. “Think so.” He heaved a great sigh. “Whatever.” He braced his arms behind him and sat up. Tiger rolled off his chest with a disgruntled meow.

Vanessa tugged his covers over to her side of the bed and lied face-down on her pillow. “My bed now,” she mumbled, her voice muffled through the pillow.

Jorel grabbed a shirt off the floor and tugged it on. “I’ll go feed the baby.”

Vanessa grunted in response. Jorel grabbed a sweater and pulled it on over his shirt. He lifted Tiger into his arms and stood up. “Come on, you big baby,” he said.

Tiger snuggled into his arms as he made his way over to the door. His odd dream was almost immediately forgotten as he left the bedroom with his cat. Time to start the day.

* * *

Jordon opened his eyes and yawned. He glanced to the left and right, trying to remember where he was.

“You fell asleep on the couch again,” Randi’s voice said from the kitchen, as if she knew exactly when he had woken up. He looked up towards the door across the room, and it registered in his head that he was in his living room, lying on the couch. A blanket was draped across him.

He rubbed the sleep from his eyes. “Sorry.”

Randi appeared in the doorway. “You’re lucky I let you sleep. James was super fussy. So were you, actually. You almost fell off the couch.”

Jordon sat up. “Yeah, sorry. I just... had a weird dream.”

“Another one about dragons?” Randi asked, leaning against the doorframe.

Jordon nodded. Many of his dreams seemed to revolve around dragons. This one hadn’t really, but somehow he knew it was connected to past ones.

“Sorta,” he answered. “I mean, I was walking through this big ass cave, and there were a bunch of voices or something. I don’t know. I think I almost fell into a volcano. Or... no, I almost jumped off a cliff. Don’t know why.”

Randi chewed her lip thoughtfully. “Sounds concerning. Hope it doesn’t mean anything.” She walked up to him and leaned down to kiss his forehead. “Can you feed the dog?”

He nodded. “Yeah, I got it.”

She turned and disappeared into the kitchen. Jordon stared at the wall for a moment, considering his dream. It wasn’t too out of the ordinary, just another weird scenario his mind came up with, so he pushed it out of his thoughts and stood up.

His dreams didn’t matter anyway.

* * *

Danny had been flipping through a book when a dog jumped on his chest.

The wind left his chest in a sharp burst as Louie stepped all over him. “Hey buddy,” he rasped, trying to catch his breath back. He lowered his book and scratched Louie on the head. “How’s it going, bud? How’s my boy?”

Louie flopped down on Danny’s chest and lied down, probably to go to sleep. Danny turned back to his book once he was sure Louie wouldn’t jump up and interrupt him again. He hardly got through another sentence when Reese walked in, Roman in her arms.

“Good morning,” she said, leaning down to kiss Danny’s forehead. “What are you reading?”

Danny shrugged. “Some fantasy book George lent me.”

Reese grinned. “Does it have dragons in it?”

The corners of Danny’s mouth twitched upward into a smile. “No, not this one.” He often had odd dreams that involved dragons, and it wasn’t uncommon for him to share them with his wife when he woke. It became a common topic of conversation in the Murillo family.

“You had another bad dream, didn’t you?” Reese asked. “You were squirming around all night.”

“Yeah,” Danny answered casually. “I was in a stone tower, and it was on fire, and these two dragons appeared. One of them blew fire at me. I think I woke up after that. I don’t know.”

“You’ve been seeing fire a lot more lately.”

“It’s probably nothing,” Danny muttered, scanning the page to see where he was.

Scarlett burst into the room from the kitchen, a loaf of bread in her hands and a smile on her face. “Can we have French toast for breakfast?”

Danny gave up on reading and stood up. His book and his weird dreams could wait. His family was more important.

* * *

George hefted his sword and shield, breathing heavily. “Best thirty-five out of sixty-nine?”

Dylan’s chest heaved as he spun a dagger on its chain. “Fuckin’ hell, you’ve gotten strong. You been benching firetrucks in your spare time?”

George shrugged, a grin on his face. “Maybe.”

Dylan shook his head. “I can never tell when you’re kidding.” He let his dagger swing to a stop. “I think I’m done. You win.”

“Aight.” George sheathed his sword.

“The two of you are finished?” the woman at the other end of the room asked. She taught fencing lessons in this arena, and George and Dylan had started renting it out for a few hours at a time so they could spar. She insisted on being present for every session just to make sure neither of them got too hurt.

George nodded. “Thanks again.”

“No problem,” she said. “The showers are unlocked. My class is coming in half an hour, so don’t take too long.”

“Sure thing.” Dylan started towards the door that led to the showers, sheathing his daggers at his belt. His blades hadn’t come with sheathes, so he had to have a pair custom made so he could put his weapons away when he didn’t have long sleeves to hide them in. The chains attached to the daggers had settled into their new home easily, twining around his belt and extending whenever they needed to.

George sheathed his own blade and unstrapped his shield from his arm as he followed Dylan to the showers. “You’re really giving me a run for my money here, man,” he said. “I’m supposed to be the best fighter here.”

“You are,” Dylan said, making his way over to his bag he’d left on the bench.

“You beat me a few times,” George corrected. He glanced in the mirror above the sink in the changing room. A cut across his cheekbone stared back at him. “You’re really quick with those things.”

Dylan unhooked his sheaths from his belt. “What time is it?”

George took his phone from his own duffel bag and glanced at the screen. “Nine-thirty.”

Dylan gave a low whistle as he peeled off his shirt. “Damn, it’s been a whole ass four hours?” He took off the fingerless gloves he wore to keep his hands from blistering while fighting.

“Yeah, I guess.” George took his sheath from his own belt. “Hey, Dyl?”

“Yeah?”

“I had another dream last night.”

Dylan grabbed his water bottle. “What about?” he asked, raising the bottle to his lips.

“God’s Vision.”

Dylan choked on his water. “Legit?” he coughed.

George nodded. Dylan took another swig of water and set the bottle down. “Fuck.” He tapped his foot on the floor. “I mean... I may or may not have had a dream about the Caves last night. I didn’t mention it cuz I didn’t think it was important, but...” He reached up and freed his hair from the elastic holding it back. “Maybe it means something.”

George shook his head. “We can’t get our hopes up.”

Dylan heaved a sigh. “I know. I just... I want them back.”

“We know that’s not gonna happen.” He furrowed his brow. “But...” He shot Dylan a fearful look. “What about _her?”_

Dylan shook his head. “No, no, no, she doesn’t remember any of it, and we’re not going to get paranoid thinking she does. We’re safe from her. She’s got a family now, anyway. She wouldn’t put that at risk.”

George sighed. “You’re right.” He gently pushed Dylan towards the showers. “Now go shower. You smell like shit.”

* * *

Below Los Angeles, a long stone tunnel descended into a humongous cavern. It ceiling soared high above its floor. The blue and green lights that had once illuminated the cavern had faded after weeks of the cave being neglected. However, following the tunnel towards the cavern were dozens of green and blue handprints that glowed, as if two people had dipped their hands in glow-in-the-dark paint and smacked them over every surface they could see as they made their way through the tunnel.

In the cavern sat nine stone statues of dragons. All were undisturbed.

A crack reverberated off the walls. Two dragons were lying together, one with its head resting on the other’s back. A tiny fissure had appeared in the stone on each of the two dragon’s heads.

The sound faded away, and the cave fell silent.

* * *

No one in Los Angeles paid her much mind, but she walked with a such a determined stride that they couldn’t help but move out of her way. She ignored the few fearful stares she received from the crowd. She didn’t have time for them.

A small serpentine animal twined around her torso. Its six metallic wings were folded to its body, and it snuggled into her jacket to better hide itself from the crowds. Its blueish black scales crackled with electricity as bolts of lightning sparked from its eyes. The electricity didn’t bother her at all. In fact, it jumped from the dragon’s scales to her skin, charging her with energy.

Tiny razor sharp black rocks sprouted through the sidewalk in her wake. She didn’t care. She would let them see.

She remembered everything.

And she wasn’t going to let anyone else forget it, either.


	2. Domestic Life

Dylan walked in the door with a smile. “Hey Anna.”

Anna stepped into the living room from the kitchen, a warm smile on her face. “Hey babe. You were working out with George again?”

Dylan nodded and took his bag off his shoulder. “Yeah. Got a little heated.”

“I’ll bet.” Anna stepped forward and reached out to lightly touch a bruise on Dylan’s arm. “You keep coming back with these.” She looked up at him. “I get the feeling ‘working out’ is just a code word for something else. And I’m not implying that I think you’re fucking him, I’m just saying it’s weird that you keep getting hurt.”

Dylan snorted and made his way to the stairs. “No, we’re not fucking. And we’re perfectly safe. Nothing a few Band-Aids won’t fix.” He leaned down to pat Mr. Bones on the head as he passed. His dog looked up and licked Dylan’s hand.

Anna followed him up the stairs. “I would just like to know why you keep coming home with all these cuts and bruises. It worries me, you know.”

“Would you believe me if I told you George and I had ancient weapons from a thousand years ago that we inherited from our past lives as saviors of the world, and we’re learning how to fight again just in case something ever tries to destroy the Earth?”

Anna shook her head, a quiet laugh escaping her lips. “You are ridiculous.”

“That’s why you love me.” He glanced at one of the doors in the hallway. “Holly up yet?”

“Still sleeping,” Anna answered. “But don’t change the subject. I still want to know what you guys are doing.”

Dylan walked into the bedroom and set down his duffel bag. “You wouldn’t believe me if I told you,” he said. He turned away and started rummaging through the clothes on his floor for a sweater. He forgot to bring one to the arena, and he was getting cold.

He heard the zipper of his duffel bag being opened. “Well, I’ll grab your sweaty clothes and toss them in the washer.”

He whirled around. “No!”

Anna blinked in surprise, halfway through unzipping the duffel bag. The chains of his daggers glinted inside, and he prayed she hadn’t noticed. He wouldn’t know how she would react to knowing that he and George were sparring with deadly weapons, but it wasn’t something he wanted to find out.

Anna pressed her lips into a thin line and nodded. “Alright,” she said, a hard tone to her voice. She raised her hands and stood up. “You don’t want me to know things, don’t tell me.” She turned and left the room.

A feeling of guilt settled in Dylan’s gut. He followed her to the door. “Anna, wait.”

She stopped and looked back at him in the hallway. “It’s fine, Dylan,” which was a sure sign that it was not, in fact, fine. “You don’t need to tell me why you keep coming home injured. You want secrets, have them.”

Dylan sighed and leaned against the doorframe. They’d had this conversation a dozen times over the past three months, and he felt like he was fighting a losing battle every time it happened. He knew she was concerned, but he also knew she wouldn’t believe him if he tried to explain everything to its full extent.

His shoulders slumped. “I’m sorry. But I’m not gonna stop ‘working out’ with him. This is important. I would love to tell you, but you wouldn’t believe me.”

Anna sighed and shook her head. “Whatever.” She turned and walked back to the stairs.

Dylan watched her descend the staircase. He had half a mind to run after her and explain everything, but she’d probably just think he was making up a story.

He went back into the room for a moment to grab a sweater. He tugged it on over his head and made his way down the hallway. Maybe he could make breakfast for Anna if she hadn’t eaten already, just as a small apology. He wasn’t exactly the best cook, but he could probably whip something together. Well, if Anna wasn’t already angrily frying up an omelette. She liked to cook when she was upset.

Sure enough, when he walked into the kitchen, the sound of something sizzling on a frying pan met his ears. Anna flipped a pancake, a bowl of batter next to her that she must have made before Dylan got home. Her phone was tucked between her ear and her shoulder, and she hadn’t seemed to have noticed that Dylan came in.

“I know it might just be a guy thing,” she said quietly. She paused. “’Yeah, but he keeps getting these cuts and bruises. He always says he and George are just ‘working out’, but I don’t know any fucking exercise routine that gets you hurt like that.” Another pause. “It looks like he was attacked. He’s got dozens of scars.” She grabbed the whisk and stirred up her batter. “No, I don’t think they’re fencing. Besides, don’t those swords have little rubber tips? And they wear stuff to protect them anyway. He wouldn’t get hurt.” She sighed. “I know I don’t call often, but I just wanted to know if maybe this is a Hollywood Undead thing. Does Danny do this?” She was silent as she grabbed her spatula and flipped her pancake again to check the underside. “I don’t know, maybe it’s just a bonding thing they would do? They’ve done weirder stuff.” She took the pancake off the pan and picked up the ladle sticking out of the bowl of batter. She poured the batter onto the pan. “No? Shit. You think I should ask Asia?” Pause. “Alright. Hey, would I be able to chill with you today? You know, go shopping maybe, see a movie? It’ll be a girls’ day. I mean, if you’re not doing anything else.” She nodded. “Okay. Thank you. I’ll see if Asia can join us. I just think I need a day out of the house. Dylan can handle Holiday on his own.” She was silent for another moment. “Okay. Thanks, Reese.” She took her phone away from her ear and hung up.

Dylan stepped further into the room and cleared his throat. Anna glanced back with a coldness in her eyes as she went to flip her pancake. “I’m hanging out with Reese today. Can you handle Holly?”

Dylan nodded. Taking care of his daughter so Anna could have a day to herself was the least he could do. “Yeah, I got her. I haven’t seen her much lately anyway.”

“Thanks.”

Those were the only words they exchanged in the next half hour. However, they made an agreement early on in their relationship to never leave the house mad, just in case something happened to one of them and the last thing they did was argue. When it came time for Anna to leave, she walked up to where Dylan was sitting on the couch with Holly in his lap and leaned down to kiss him.

“I’ll see you later,” she said. Her tone was still a little chilly, but a warmth danced in her eyes.

He found himself smiling. He gave her a peck on the cheek. “I love you.”

“I love you too,” she said quietly. She straightened and made her way to the door, her purse slung over her shoulder. Dylan watched her leave, aware that she was still a little frustrated with him, but glad that she had set that aside enough to say goodbye before she left.

* * *

Asia heaved a quiet sigh as she picked up her phone and tucked it under her ear. “Hey Anna.”

George’s stomach sank as soon as he heard the name. He knew Dylan and Anna were having problems because of his and Dylan’s sparring sessions. He was lucky he and Asia didn’t have the same issues.

Well, sort of.

Asia swiftly wrapped a bandage around George’s arm as she listened to Anna speak. “No, I have no idea what they’re doing.” She paused to pin the bandage in place. “He doesn’t tell me,” she said, shooting a quick glare at her husband. He offered her an apologetic smile in return. Asia grabbed the damp washcloth off the sink and dabbed at a cut on George’s hand. “No, they’re both stupid about it. I don’t know why the hell he doesn’t just tell me. Hang on.” She grabbed the phone and tucked it against her shoulder for a moment, turning to the open door of the bathroom. “How are my babies doing?”

Ava appeared in the doorway with Chloe in her arms. “We’re good.”

“Nice.” She put the phone back under her ear. “Anyway, no, he’s fucking stupid. And I’m being fucking stupid because I’m letting him do this shit and get himself hurt and I’m helping him fix himself up.”

“You know I can do it myself,” George said, but Asia held up a finger to shut him up.

“He’s right the fuck here, and he knows how I feel about it, but he does it anyway.” She lowered her voice to speak to George, holding up a roll of bandages. “Lift your arm.”

George did as she asked, and Asia began wrapping the bandages around his bloody wrist. “Yeah, he’s listening to every word. He’s fully aware of how much I hate this. I don’t like seeing him hurt.” She looked him dead in the eye. “I don’t like seeing you hurt. Neither do your daughters.”

“I know,” George said, but Asia was having none of it.

“He’s an absolute idiot about this, and I love him, but he needs to take better care of himself. Hang on.” She lowered the phone again to shout at Ava. “Honey, can you grab your stupid father an ice pack?”

Ava’s footsteps ran across the house. “Okay!”

“I don’t need an ice pack,” he said.

“You have a bump on your forehead,” Asia pointed out. She raised the phone again. “Sorry. Ava and I are just trying to juggle all the responsibility in this damn house.”

Ava stepped into the bathroom with an ice pack in one hand and Chloe tucked in her free arm. She held it out to Asia, who gave her daughter a grateful smile. “Thank you, baby.” She held the ice pack out to George. “Hold this on your head.”

George sighed, but he did as she asked. “I don’t need you to do this.”

“How else am I going to make sure this is done right?” She pinned a set of bandages in place. “Hm? Oh, no, I’m still talking to George. Yeah, I’m trying to fix up all these cuts.” She paused. “Hang on.” She lowered the phone again. “She wants to know if I can hang out. Can you handle Chloe?”

“Yeah.”

“Cool.” She raised the phone again. “Yeah, I can come. Could I bring Ava with me, or is this a ladies’ day out kinda thing?” Pause. “Alright.” She looked up at the bathroom door. “Ava, you wanna have a girls’ day?”

“Sure!”

“Cool.” She turned back to the phone. “Thanks.” She glanced at George. “Unless you wanna spend time with her today?”

George shook his head. “Nah, we had a father-daughter day yesterday. You go have fun.”

“Okay.” Asia carefully placed a Band-Aid over the cut on George’s cheekbone. “Yeah, I’ll let Reese know she can bring Scarlett. You know, we haven’t really had a day for all of us to go out. I can get a hold of Randi and Vanessa if you want.” She paused. “Yeah, I’ll get on that. Okay. I’ll see you later.” She hung up and shoved her phone in her pocket. She straightened from where she stood and stepped back, admiring her handiwork. “You’re an idiot, you know,” she said.

George couldn’t help but smile. “Yeah, that’s why you love me.”

Asia leaned down and kissed him. “Unfortunately, yes.” She grabbed the bandages scattered across the counter and placed them back in the first aid kit. “You better not get yourself hurt while we’re gone.”

“I won’t,” he promised.

“Good.” She set the first aid kit aside and turned on the faucet to wash her hands. “Text me if you need anything.”

“I will.”

* * *

Jordon hefted James onto one arm and opened the door. “Sup homie?”

Dylan gave his friend a smile. “Hey man.” He held Holly close to his chest and stepped into the house. “Yo, where my homies at?” he shouted.

“We’re in here!” Danny’s voice yelled from the living room.

The two of them made their way across the kitchen to the living room. Since their wives, along with Scarlett and Ava, had all gone out for the day, the five of them figured they would all chill out together with their kids. It had been a while since their last tour, so they hadn’t spent a lot of time together in recent months. It was probably time they hung out as a group again.

Jordon shouldered the door open and they both walked in. Danny sat on the floor, leaning against the couch where George and Jorel sat. Roman Murillo and Jack Terrell were both on the floor with various baby toys in front of them. Roman didn’t say a word as the two of them came in, since he was so mesmerized by a dinosaur toy that he turned over in his small hands. Jack looked up and gave a big happy smile at the sight of his dad.

Dylan set Holly on the ground so she could play with the toys on the floor. She immediately grabbed a ton of plastic building blocks and started stacking them in a tower.

Danny looked up at Dylan. “Hey. What’s with the bruise?”

Dylan raised a hand to his cheek, where the pommel of George’s sword had struck him by accident. “Workout mishap,” he said, sitting on the couch across from George and Jorel.

“You’ve been having a lot of those lately,” Jorel commented as he scratched Tiger on the head. Of course he’d brought his cat along when the guys asked if he wanted to hang out. As far as Jorel was concerned, Tiger was his baby, and he wouldn’t pass up a chance to bring his furry son along on a playdate.

Chloe made some incomprehensible baby noise and reached out a tiny hand towards Tiger. “Your son better not scratch my daughter,” George said.

“Nah, he’s well behaved.” Jorel held Tiger closer to Chloe. “Whaddya think, buddy?”

Tiger sniffed at Chloe’s tiny hand. He very gently licked her finger, and Chloe gave a high pitched giggle.

Jorel grinned. “See? Best friends.”

“Sorry Tiger,” Jordon said, “but that role is reserved for James. He and Chloe are totes BFFs.”

Danny visibly winced at Jordon’s use of words. “Please never say that again. Literally no one has said that since 2005.”

“Okay, boomer,” Jordon scoffed.

Jorel snorted and pointed at Danny. “Ha. You’re a boomer.”

“Aren’t we all millennials?” Danny asked.

“Whatever, boomer.” Jordon slid off the couch with James in his arms and sat next to Jack. “So, how’s it been going with everyone? Anything exciting happen lately?”

Danny looked up at Dylan. “Well, Reese said something’s going on with you. Isn’t that the whole reason the girls are going out today?”

Everyone turned toward Dylan, and he hesitated. He didn’t want to be put on the spot like this.

“Everything’s fine,” he said finally. “She just doesn’t like that I’m spending too much time with George.”

“Because of all the ‘workout mishaps’?” Danny asked, making air quotes with his fingers.

Dylan sighed. “Yeah. She doesn’t like that I keep getting hurt.”

“Asia’s in the same boat, man,” George said. “She just expresses it differently.” He raised an arm and scratched at a Band-Aid on his face. “Usually by telling me I’m an idiot while she insists on patching me up.”

“It doesn’t look like you guys are working out,” Jorel mused, petting Tiger on the head. “I mean, you’re both swole as hell now, but how do you keep getting hurt?”

Dylan and George exchanged a glance. “It’s complicated,” George said. “You wouldn’t believe us if we told you.”

“That’s what I keep telling Anna,” Dylan muttered. Jordon’s dog wandered up to the couch and rested its head on the cushion. Dylan reached down and scratched it behind the ear.

“Maybe you should tell them,” Jordon suggested. “I mean, they’re just concerned. It’ll probably put them at ease.”

Dylan shook his head. “Not an option. Maybe someday, but not now.”

“Could you tell us at least?” Danny asked, giving George and Dylan his best puppy dog eyes. He hadn’t yet met a person who could say no to his adorable, pleading gaze, but Dylan and George proved to be more resilient than most people.

“Sorry man,” George said with a shrug. “If the ladies don’t get to know, you don’t either.”

Danny sighed. “I guess I understand. Reese has been worried about me lately, too.”

Jordon furrowed his brow. “Why?”

“It’s nothing really,” Danny said. “I’ve just been having a lot of bad dreams lately. Mostly about fire.”

Dylan and George’s heads both snapped up to look at Danny. “Wh... why would you be dreaming about fire?” George asked. No one but Dylan seemed to notice that his voice was a little shaky.

“Dunno. But last night I had a dream that I was stuck in this big stone room that was on fire, and there were two dragons in there with me. One of them blew fire at me. I woke up after that.” He picked up a toy airplane off the ground. “I’m sure it’s fine. If it really ends up bothering me, I’ll see a therapist.”

Dylan swallowed. “Uh... anyone else have any weird dreams?” he asked, trying to act like this was a casual conversation.

“Sorta,” Jorel said. “I had a dream about Aron for some reason. I think he killed a dragon, then he killed me. We were in a forest.” He shrugged. “I didn’t think much of it, but it’s just weird that I was thinking about him after so many years.”

“Yeah, he’s a dick,” Jordon muttered. He didn’t notice the shocked looks on Dylan and George’s faces, but if he did, he didn’t show it.

“I mean, we were friends since we were kids,” Jorel pointed out. “I guess I still miss him a little.”

Jordon nodded. “Makes sense.” He leaned against the couch behind him. “I been having some crazy fuckin’ dreams too.”

“About what?” Dylan asked quietly.

Jordon bit his lip. “I feel like this is gonna be concerning.”

“You can tell us, man,” Danny said. “We won’t judge.”

Jordon took a deep breath. “Aight. Well... I was walking through this big dark place, and... I don’t know, there were a bunch of voices saying shit. Something about dragons, I don’t know. And, uh... I stopped at the edge of a cliff with a bunch of lava below it. I think I almost jumped off.” He shook his head. “But it doesn’t mean anything, don’t worry.”

Jorel gave a low whistle. “Damn, that’s heavy. You good?”

“Yeah, I’m fine,” Jordon reassured him. “My brain just got some bad vibes yesterday.”

They all looked up as George stood, Chloe still in his arms. “Dyl?”

Dylan nodded and pushed himself to his feet. He followed George toward the door to the kitchen. “We’ll be right back.”

They both disappeared into the kitchen. The other three all looked at each other in confusion. “Are they okay?” Jordon asked.

Danny turned the toy airplane over in his hands. “Not sure.”

“What are they doing?” Jorel wondered.

Danny furrowed his brow. He set the airplane down. “Let’s find out.”

He stood and made his way to the door, keeping his footsteps quiet. Jordon and Jorel exchanged a glance, then stood up and followed. Eavesdropping wasn’t something they were super eager to do, especially not on something that could be a private conversation, but their curiosity got the best of them. They could deal with the guilt that came with it later.

Danny pressed his ear to the door. Dylan and George’s voices were slightly muffled, but it wasn’t too hard to make out what they were saying.

“I just want to tell them,” Dylan’s voice said. “I’m so fucking done with being the only two who know about it. I love sparring with you, but I wanna spar with them too. I haven’t fought Jorel in ages. I wanna talk to them about dumb shit that Dove and Grenade have done. I wanna talk to them about the shit we’ve done together.”

“You know why we can’t tell them,” said George’s voice.

“Yeah, but it’s so frustrating,” Dylan sighed. “Either way, they have to remember something. Why else would they be having those dreams?”

“Deep-seated trauma?” George suggested. “Look, we agreed not to get our hopes up.”

“But you feel it too,” Dylan said. “I can see it in your face. You know something’s happening. At the very least, we should contact Aron and Matt.”

“No way,” George said immediately. “If Matt doesn’t remember, he’ll just say were crazy and never talk to us again. And forget about Aron. He hates us, and you know what he did back in the Emperor’s Keep. If he remembers, he’d never want to talk to us.”

A brief pause. “What about Jeff and... her?”

Silence. “Come on,” Dylan’s voice urged. “If any of them will know about this, it’s those two. You know the shit they did back them. They’ve gotta remember that. Jeff becoming a dragon rider, trying to kill people, all that. And he’s totally fallen off the grid in the past few months. Maybe he found Shade and they’re off hiding in the mountains or something. And not to mention the shit _she_ did in the Emperor’s Keep. They have to know about that.”

George sighed. “I... I don’t know. They might. But Shade isn’t in the cave. Jeff wasn’t a hero, and you know how confrontational he was back in his Keep. What if his part of all this is just... gone? What if there’s no possible way for him to remember? And she was... something else entirely. We have no idea what her deal is now, or if she knows what she did.”

“There has to be a way,” Dylan insisted. “If Danny, Jorel, and Jordon are getting nightmares like us, then something is going on. We have to call the others. And yeah, you’re the leader, so it’s your final decision, but I still think we should at least try. We’ll just ask about the dreams. Nothing more.”

There was another moment of silence. “I’ll ask Jorel if he has Aron’s number,” George said finally. “He might have Jeff’s too. We’ll see.”

Dylan breathed a sigh of relief. “Thanks.”

“Remember, just don’t—”

“I know,” Dylan interrupted. “Don’t get my hopes up. But you have to admit, this could mean something.”

“It could,” George said quietly. He sighed. “This is stressing me out. Can we spar later?”

“Anna told me I shouldn’t get myself hurt again today,” Dylan said. “Besides, we got our kids to take care of.”

“Could I come over to your place then? Just to visit.”

“Sure.” Silence. “I think they’re waiting for us.”

Danny, Jordon, and Jorel scrambled away from the door and sat down in various spots, trying to look like they’d been there the whole time. Danny sat on the ground again and picked up a toy. He began to play with Roman as if he’d been doing so for the past few minutes. Jorel tucked Tiger in the crook of one arm and started scrolling through his phone with the other. Jordon sat back down on the floor next to Jack. He hardly looked up as George and Dylan came back into the room.

Dylan sat next to Jordon on the floor, close to Holly. “Sorry about that,” he said.

George settled on the couch beside Jorel. “Hey, Jay?”

Jorel glanced up from his phone, plastering on an innocent face. “Yeah?”

“Would you happen to still have Aron’s number?” George asked. “Jeff’s too? And please don’t ask why, it’s complicated.”

Jorel hesitated. He glanced at Danny, who just shrugged.

Jorel pulled up the contacts in his phone. “Yeah, I got ‘em. Hang on.”

The rest of their visit went as normal. They played with their kids, talked about shit going on in their lives, and discussed possibilities of different tours to go on after their next one. However, Danny, Jorel, and Jordon just couldn’t stop thinking abut what they had overheard Dylan and George talking about in the kitchen. Why speak to Aron and Jeff after all these years? Why were they talking about dreams so much? What was this about “her”? And what did they mean by “sparring”? Were they learning how to fight or something?

But they said nothing about it.


	3. Awakening

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> sorry for the short chapter but shit's gonna get real soon so i hope y'all are ready

At one of the least popular beaches in Los Angeles, everything was peaceful. A few people sat near the shoreline, enjoying the gentle crashing of the waves on the sand.

The ground trembled a little. People glanced about, slightly concerned, but most paid it no mind. Earthquakes weren’t uncommon in California. A slight tremor like this was nothing to be worried about.

A tiny creature moved beneath the surface of the sand, just behind the very small crowd of people. It wriggled out of the ground and shook the sand off its white and brown scales. It flapped one pair of red wings and glanced around with its bright red eyes. Four of its six wings were attached to its short arms and legs, and two small green horns jutted back out of its head. It blinked as a dragonfly buzzed in front of its face. The creature snapped the bug into its mouth.

“Yo, what the fuck is that?”

The creature didn’t bother looking around for the source of the voice. It scurried away in the opposite direction, its long tail trailing behind it, and disappeared between two houses on the shore.

* * *

George gently bounced Chloe up and down on his lap as Dylan paced the room, phone in his hands. “Are you gonna call him or not?” George asked.

Dylan heaved a sigh. “I don’t know. I want to, but... what if he just calls me an idiot and hangs up? What if he remembers everything and yells at me?”

“Then I’ll call him,” George offered.

“No,” Dylan said. “I can do it.” He took a deep breath, steeling his nerves, and punched in the number.

He stopped pacing as the phone rang. “Put it on speaker,” George said.

Dylan quickly pressed the speaker button just as the other line picked up. “Hello?” came a slightly nasally voice. It sounded a bit deeper than Dylan remembered.

“Hey, Aron,” Dylan said hesitantly. “Uh, it’s Dylan. Dylan Alvarez. You know, Funny Man.”

Silence. “Oh,” Aron’s voice said. “Why are you calling?” To Dylan’s relief, he sounded more confused than angry.

“I’m here too,” George shouted.

“Yeah, Johnny’s here too,” Dylan added. “You’re on speaker. Look, this isn’t about anything that happened during Swan Songs or after that. I just wanna ignore that for now, if that’s okay.”

“I guess,” Aron said. A hard tone had made its way into his voice after he heard George’s voice. “So... why are you calling then?”

Dylan glanced at George. “Uh... this is gonna sound like a weird question.”

“Throw it at me,” Aron said. “I’m sure I’ve heard weirder.”

“Aight,” George said. “Have you had any weird dreams lately?”

There was a pause, and Dylan was half afraid that Aron was going to hang up. “What classifies as ‘weird’?” Aron asked finally. “Because I’ve definitely seen some fucked up shit in my sleep.”

“Stuff about dragons,” Dylan specified. “Or even just dragon related.”

“Is this for some sort of survey or something? Why do you need to know?”

“Just humour us,” George said. “Please?”

Aron sighed. “Okay, yeah. A few. You need specifics?”

“That would be helpful, yeah,” Dylan said.

“Okay. I’m not sharing extreme details, because that shit’s reserved for my therapist. But, uh, last night I had a dream that I was in this dark ass forest, and I was with a dragon. The dragon was all shiny and shit, dunno why.”

“Like it was made of crystal?” Dylan asked.

“And were its wings blue?” George added.

“Yes and yes,” Aron muttered. “How’d you know?”

“Just keep going,” George prompted.

Aron heaved another sigh. “Aight. I was in the forest, and then I got separated from the dragon. Jorel showed up, and he was being a dick, and then he died. I’m not saying how, but I didn’t kill him if that’s what you’re thinking. He tried to kill me first. I woke up after that.”

Dylan and George exchanged a glance. _The Grove of Loss,_ George mouthed.

Dylan nodded. “Okay. That was... that was really helpful, actually.” He swallowed nervously. “Hey, uh, I don’t really know what Jorel or Jordon would think of this, but uh... would you wanna maybe go out for coffee or something later? Just to reconnect? It would just be the three of us.”

“Are you serious?”

“Yeah. We can catch up.”

A pause. “I guess so. What time?”

“How ‘bout this afternoon? I’ll text, let you know when and where.”

“Okay. It was good to talk to you again.”

“Same here. See ya later, homes.”

Dylan hung up. “Why’d you invite him out?” George asked.

“If something’s going on, we gotta get on good terms with him again,” Dylan said, sitting down on the couch. “We’re gonna need him, and we can’t be stuck with a divided team. Especially if she is involved.”

“It’s gonna be hard not to be divided with Aron and Jeffrey on the same team,” George pointed out.

Dylan grimaced. Right, he forgot about the old beef Aron and Shady Jeff had with each other. Hopefully, the two of them could put aside their egos long enough to keep themselves from ripping each other’s heads off.

“We’ll cross that bridge when we get to it,” Dylan said. “You wanna try calling Matt again?”

George shrugged. “Still haven’t gotten a response from my text. I just don’t think he’s available.”

Dylan sighed and looked down at his phone. “Should we try Jeff?”

George scratched the back of his neck. “I don’t know. He wasn’t a hero. He might not know anything about it.”

“But it couldn’t hurt to try.”

George sighed. “Guess not.” He pulled out his phone.

Dylan made his way to the stairs. “Imma go check on Holly, see if she’s awake from her nap yet.”

George didn’t respond as Dylan jogged upstairs. George dialed Jeff’s number and held the phone up to his ear. He wasn’t sure how Jeff would respond, but he hoped the guy wouldn’t freak out and start accusing George of collecting information for the government. Who knew what weird conspiracies Jeff was into these days?

The phone rang. He put it on speaker so Dylan could hear when he came back downstairs.

He waited and waited, but no one picked up. After about a minute, he figured Jeff wouldn’t answer and just hung up.

“No one there?” Dylan’s voice asked. He jogged down the stairs, a sleepy Holly in his arms.

“Nope.” George leaned back in his seat on the couch. “He hasn’t posted anything on his Instagram for a couple months, either. You think he’s just gone off the grid?”

“Maybe.” Dylan sat down beside him. “Well, at least we got Aron.”

“Yeah.”

The two of them sat there in silence. They didn’t know what to do about their situation, or what would come of it in the following days or even hours.

All they could do was hope for the best.

* * *

In the ocean near the shoreline of Los Angeles, the waves had gotten much more aggressive. They rose into a watery crescendo and crashed down on the beach, spraying people with saltwater. They found it a little odd that the waves had picked up while the wind had not, but no one really cared.

A young kid swam out far enough that his feet could no longer touch the sand. His mother sat on the beach, flipping through a magazine. She had insisted on finding a part of the beach that no one else had occupied, simply because she didn’t want to be disturbed. She’d hardly looked up at all in the past ten minutes, but the kid didn’t mind. He liked the little bit of freedom. Besides, he had his lifejacket on. He was totally safe! There was no way something could happen to him.

He kept swimming out further. His legs grew tired, so he paused to take a rest. He looked back, and his eyes widened when he saw how far away he was from shore. He felt like he should go back, but then again, he never got to do stuff like this.

He braced himself as another small wave swept him back towards shore. He paddled out further. He didn’t want to go back yet!

He looked down at the murky water. He could just barely see the waving shapes of seaweed far below his feet. He kicked out, trying to touch it even though it was much too far. Maybe he should go back. He could touch the seaweed closer to the beach.

Another shape appeared ahead of him below the waves. He stared ahead, trying to discern what it was. It grew closer, and his stomach flipped when a pair of enormous, bright blue eyes came into view. The shape loomed closer, and his heart quickened. He turned and began to paddle back to the beach. He didn’t know the ocean had sea monsters so close to shore!

Something lifted him out of the water from below and he yelped in surprise and fear. He began to cry out. He shouldn’t have swam so far!

The thing below him moved forward and lowered him back to the water, much closer to shore. His cries caught in his throat as he started paddling to keep himself afloat, even though he knew he couldn’t sink with his lifejacket. He whirled around, afraid of whatever had picked him up.

He gasped when his gaze connected with the blue eyes. They were attached to a huge creature with blue scales. Horns stuck out the back of its head, and a pair of orange wings stretched to either side. At first, its eyes had been scary, but now he saw a kind gleam in those eyes that had been obscured by water before.

The huge creature backed away and lowered itself back into the water. It kept its bright eyes on the kid as it slowly disappeared.

He looked up at the shore. His mother hadn’t even looked up from her magazine.


	4. Memories

Jorel flopped down on his couch, scrolling through his Instagram feed. Ever since he left Jordon’s house, he’d tried to put George and Dylan’s strange conversation out of his mind, but he just couldn’t. Something about it stuck with him. it was impossible for him to stop thinking about it.

He heaved a sigh and lowered his phone. He couldn’t stop wondering why George and Dylan had asked for Aron’s number. Were they just trying to reconnect with past members of the band? If so, why hadn’t they just said that instead of saying “it’s complicated”?

Tiger hopped onto the couch and purred. Jorel sat up and scratched him on the head. So many questions raced through his mind. Try as he might, he couldn’t find answers to any of them.

He sat up on the couch with a sigh. Nothing he did was going to be able to distract him from his stupid thoughts.

He stood up, deciding that maybe having a snack would help a little. “Come on, Tiger,” he said.

He heard a disinterested meow and furrowed his brow. Since when did Tiger meow? She wasn’t a cat, she was a—

He blinked. He glanced behind him. A brown cat sat on the couch, looking up at him with bright eyes, and for a moment, he was very confused. Usually, when he called his dragon’s name, she leaped right onto his shoulders with an excited squeak. Where was she? Why was this cat here?

The thought left his mind as fast as it had appeared. What... what the hell had he just been thinking? Tiger was a cat, and _he_ was right here. What was this about dragons?

He reached up and scratched the back of his neck, totally perplexed. That was an odd slip of his thoughts. He didn’t know what it meant.

The door opened and he looked up. Vanessa walked in, a bag of stuff hanging off her arm. “Hey Relly,” she said with a smile.

Jorel couldn’t help but smile back. “Hey.” He looked at the door, waiting for her dragon to walk in. “Where’s Killer?”

Vanessa blinked. “Uh... I’m not sure what you mean.”

Jorel raised an eyebrow. How did she not know what he was talking about? “Y’know, your dragon...” His eyes widened a little as his sentence tapered off. “Dragon,” he muttered, leaning against the kitchen counter. “What... the hell am I talking about?”

A slight smirk made its way onto Vanessa’s face. She walked up to Jorel and planted a kiss on his cheek. “Your dreams messing with you a little?”

He swallowed and nodded. “Yeah. Yeah, I guess so.” He took off his snapback and ran a hand through his hair. “Sorry.”

“It’s okay.” She set her bag down. “You have a good day with the boys?”

He nodded, a little absent. Why was he thinking about dragons now? “Uh... I think I’m gonna go have a nap.”

“Sure thing.”

He made his way to the bedroom. “Coming, Tiger?”

Tiger just meowed. Jorel found himself missing the feeling of a small dragon crawling onto his shoulders, despite the fact that he was sure he’d never felt it before.

* * *

Jordon flipped through TV channels, searching for something he could watch while keeping it appropriate for Jack. There didn’t seem to be much on, but he was sure he could find something suitable for the both of them.

He would have just put it on a kids’ show, but he needed something to distract himself. The details of Dylan and George’s conversation wouldn’t leave him alone. Something about it had just stuck in his head and kept pestering him to no end.

He cradled James in his one arm, clicking buttons on the remote with his other hand. He sighed and leaned back on the couch. He looked down at Jack, who was sitting on the floor surrounded by baby toys. As soon as Dylan and Holly left, Jack had stolen the blocks she’d been playing with and made a big tower of his own. Now he grabbed an airplane and balanced it precariously on top. He stared at his creation for a second before pushing it over with a happy giggle.

Jordon slid off the couch and sat on the floor. He set own the remote and ruffled Jack’s hair. “Hey bud? What are you thinking?”

Jack just held a building block up to his dad. Jordon took it and gently placed it on the tower Jack had started to rebuild. “You want me to help you build?”

Jack just held up another block in response. Jordon continued helping Jack stack his blocks. He hoped chilling with his kids would help take his mind off whatever George and Dylan had been talking about.

Jack turned away from the tower to let Jordon build it himself. Jack picked up a couple other toys and started messing around with them. He picked something up and started moving it through the air, making airplane sounds with his mouth as he did so. Jordon glanced over, expecting to see Jack holding a toy airplane, but what he saw instead made him do a double take.

Jack held a toy dragon in his small hand, moving it around like a plane. He’d taken a small soldier figurine that had lost its stand long ago and jammed it onto the dragon’s back, making it look like the tiny figurine was riding on the dragon’s back.

Jordon swallowed. “You made a dragon rider,” he muttered.

Jack balanced the dragon and its plastic rider on the tower of blocks. The sight reminded Jordon of something... but he just couldn’t determine what. A ghost of a memory flashed across his mind, and he chased it, but it danced out of his reach before he could grasp it.

He looked up as the door in the kitchen opened. “Where are my boys?” Randi’s voice shouted.

“In here!” Jordon yelled.

Randi’s footsteps walked across the kitchen and stopped when she opened the door to the living room. “Hey. How was your boys’ day?” Her smile wilted into a concerned frown. “Jordon, are you okay? You’re shaking a little.”

Jordon looked down at his hand, which was still clutching a building block. Randi was right—his hand was trembling.

He set the block down. “I’m okay. Just had a long day, I guess.”

Randi leaned down to ruffle Jack’s hair and kiss Jordon on the forehead. “You need to talk about anything?”

Jordon shook his head, his gaze still fixed on the dragon in Jack’s hand. “No. I’m fine.”

* * *

Danny flipped through his book as Roman kept his eyes on a colourful show on TV. He hadn’t gotten to read much of it earlier, so he figured he’d finish it up now.

He sipped at a cup of coffee he’d made for himself as he scanned the pages. He tried to focus on the plot of the book, but the conversation Dylan and George had earlier just wouldn’t leave his mind. What had they been talking about? Why was it so important? They’d mentioned Dove and Grenade, but Danny didn’t know what their weed company had to do with anything. Some of the words they’d said had glued themselves to his brain and wouldn’t stop pestering him. Dragon rider, hero, Emperor’s Keep... It was all so confusing, and extremely frustrating. What did it all mean?

He looked down at his book. There was no way he’d be able to focus on that with his thoughts all scrambled like this.

He shoved his bookmark into the book and set it on the coffee table. He looked up at the TV at whatever Roman was watching, and he almost had a heart attack.

Flames flickered across the screen. For one horrible moment, he thought they were real, and just the sight of them made Danny want to grab Roman and run out of the house. He shot to his feet in a panic. His leg hit the coffee table and his cup of coffee toppled over, spilling onto his jeans. He yelped and fell to the floor, clutching his burning leg, and before his eyes, the fire on the TV seemed to spread across the walls, burning the house down, and he was caught in the middle of it, unable to escape, and oh _god_ the town was burning and people were dying and...

“Danny?”

His head snapped up at the sound of his name. Reese and Scarlett were crouched in front of him, each with a cup of Starbucks. Reese carried a small bag of clothes that they had bought during the day. Scarlett was busy dabbing at the coffee on the carpet with a napkin she must have gotten from Starbucks as Reese stared at Danny with concerned eyes.

He glanced around. The TV wasn’t on fire. It was showing a bunch of kids sitting around a campfire as an older lady played guitar and sang. The kids sang along, and the words to the song appeared on the bottom of the screen as they sang off-key. Roman was still transfixed on the show.

Danny shifted where he lay. He swallowed. “Sorry,” he muttered. “I... I don’t...”

Reese reached out and very gently laid a hand on Danny’s shoulder. “This fire thing is getting out of hand,” she said quietly.

Danny nodded. He sat up and ran a hand through his hair. He hadn’t noticed he was shaking until now.

Reese squeezed his shoulder. “Why don’t you go have a nap?” she suggested.

Danny shook his head. “No. No, I don’t—I can’t. I can’t sleep.” He wouldn’t go to sleep. He wasn’t going to have one of those awful dreams again.

Reese seemed to understand. “Okay. How about you sit on the couch, and we’ll all just stay in here for a while.”

Danny nodded. “Can we... can we change the channel?”

Scarlett grabbed the remote and switched the channel to some other kids show. Roman didn’t seem to care.

Soon enough, the four of them were all huddled on the couch together, Reese in the middle of the group with Roman on her lap. Danny leaned his head on her shoulder. He had calmed down, but his mind was still racing. Why was he so scared of fire? What was that all about? Where had this sudden fear even come from?

He took Reese’s hand and twined her fingers in his. Oddly enough, he felt like something was missing. There was a strange blank spot in his thoughts, as if he was forgetting something, but he didn’t know what it could possibly be.

He shook his head lightly, choosing to ignore the feeling. He was fine. He had to be.

* * *

A lithe, golden, feathery animal soared over the streets of Los Angeles. Its wings gleamed in the sunlight as if it was made of real gold, and black stripes trailed down the fur on its back. Hardly anyone looked up long enough to see it, but those that did only blinked in surprise, wondering if it was some sort of weird bird. No one paid attention long enough to bring out their phones and film it or even take a picture. Besides, it was Los Angeles. These people had seen much stranger things than an odd flying animal.

The creature landed on top of a tall building. It sat on its haunches, staring down at the city below. Birds flew around the sky above it, but it didn’t seem to care.

Far below, in an alleyway between two run-down apartment buildings, two more creatures wandered about in the near darkness. One, a tall furry animal with black feathered wings and small arms, the other, a scaly black and green creature with four white eyes lacerated with deep scars. The furry creature’s yellow underbelly and four horns kept it from disappearing completely into the shadows, as did the scaly creature’s white swirls on its hide. They tromped through the alleyways side by side, their wings folded to their sides to make room for each other.

Above the city, a large shape flew amongst the clouds. From a distance, it could have been a very small airplane, but only a few people paid it any attention. Its grey scales were streaked through with white lightning-like patterns. It would have blended in much better with a cluster of storm clouds.

It swooped down and landed in the hills far beyond the reaches of the city. The tall spiky ridges on its back made it look bigger than it actually was. It curled up in a small valley and rested its head on top of a hill, staring at the city from a distance with a longing gleam in its orange eyes.

In the streets of Los Angeles, everything carried on as normal.

* * *

Stepping off the dock onto the water felt more freeing than she thought it would.

As soon as she stepped off, a pointy black rock sprouted from the water at an angle, giving her a place to stand that wasn’t within the borders of Los Angeles. She stood there, water lapping at the rock beneath her, and she smiled.

She flicked a hand at the water, and a dozen black rocks exploded through the surface in a line trailing out further from the land. She knew where she needed to go. Sure, it would be faster to take a boat, but where was the fun in that? It had been so long since she last used these powers. Why not make her way home herself?

She leaped from rock to rock, her dragon chirping in excitement under her jacket. Neither of them were too eager to return to their old prison, but it wasn’t just their prison. It was their home.

She jumped off the last rock with a smile, and another, much larger rock shot up from the sea to catch her. She ran up its slant and made another rock grow at the top, just so she could grab it and lean out over the water. The cool salty breeze blew her hair away from her face, and she couldn’t help the laugh that bubbled up in her chest.

This was going to be fun.


	5. Disaster

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> i have NOT been prioritizing very well so my ghost hunter fic probably won't be updated this week. anyway get ready for shit to hit the fan now

Dylan sharpened his daggers in the bathroom. He didn’t want Anna to see them, so he just told her he was taking a quick shower. He’d turned the water on and gotten his hair wet so she wouldn’t get suspicious. He would have done it earlier, but Anna had only just gotten home and he didn’t want to sharpen his deadly weapons around Holiday.

He wasn’t sure why he was sharpening them now. It’s not like he would need them any time soon.

But a nagging thought just wouldn’t leave his head. What if something went wrong while he and George were visiting with Aron? Aron still didn’t like George all that much, and if he remembered anything from their past, the might hate George even more. He would probably hate Dylan too. Aron hadn’t been on the best terms with the rest of them back in the Emperor’s Keep, and Dylan wasn’t looking to repeat that incident. He wondered if Aron wouldn’t be able to hold back if he decided to get angry. Would he attack them if he got mad enough? Not to mention _her_. She was a total powerhouse, and she would be even harder to fight if she still had those powers of hers. There was a possibility Aron might still be on their side if he remembered, but her...

Dylan shook his head. Aron wouldn’t attack them. If he wanted to reconnect with Jorel, and Dylan and George were the ones reaching out to him, he would have to take what he could get. He wouldn’t fuck up a chance to reunite with his old best friend, even if they had departed on bad terms in the Emperor’s Keep. And _she_ wasn’t even going to be there. They were totally safe from her. Besides, didn’t she have her own life to live? A husband, kids—she wouldn’t put that at risk because of an old grudge.

But it wasn’t just their impending meeting with Aron that gave him a bad feeling. His head buzzed with magic power, similar to how he had felt after the Five Islands, when he’d been able to harness the power of the No-Way-Out Caves. He half expected his body to dissolve into shadows at any second.

Dylan slipped his daggers into his sleeves, where they would stay until they were needed. He briefly stuck his head under the water again, just to make sure it looked like he’d actually had a shower before he shut the water off. He grabbed a towel and wrapped it around his hair so it wouldn’t drip.

He took a deep breath. He didn’t like hiding things from Anna, but he knew she wouldn’t believe him. He opened the door and stepped out into the hallway.

Anna appeared at the bottom of the stairs, Holly in her arms. “Want me to brush your hair?” she offered with a grin. She always loved doing things with Dylan’s hair, especially curling or braiding it.

Dylan couldn’t say no to her smile. He reached back into the bathroom and grabbed a brush and a comb off the counter. “Yeah, sure.” He jogged down the stairs, one hand on the towel twisted around his hair to keep it in place.

Anna scurried over to the couch and sat down. She set Holly beside her as Dylan hopped off the last step. “So, why are you suddenly deciding to talk to Aron again?” she asked.

Dylan sat on the floor in front of her and handed her the brush and the comb. “We just thought it was time,” he said. He desperately wanted to tell her everything, but he held his tongue as Anna unwrapped the towel from his hair.

She started gently dragging the brush through his curls. “Well, I hope it goes well.”

Dylan nodded slightly. “I hope so too.”

* * *

George sat in the passenger seat of Dylan’s car and shut the door. He glanced at Dylan, whose knuckles were almost white on the steering wheel. “You ready for this?”

“Absolutely not,” Dylan said. His hair was neatly braided in two plaits. It was a bit darker than usual, as if he’d just come out of the shower.

George sighed. “Neither am I.” He buckled his seat belt. “We should probably get going.”

Dylan nodded and swallowed. “Yep.”

He put the car into drive and pulled away from George’s house. George let his mind wander as they made their way down the street. He couldn’t help but think that something might go wrong during this visit, but he couldn’t even fathom what it might be. Aron certainly wasn’t going to attack them, was he? He wouldn’t do that, despite their history. He still wanted to be friends with Jorel.

George’s phone made a sound in his pocket. He pulled it out and glanced at the screen. “Yo, Matt texted me back.”

“What does it say?”

George cleared his throat and read the text aloud. “‘Yeah, I’ve had a couple weird dreams about dragons. Last night, I was riding a three-headed dragon and fighting a bunch of zombies. Haha fuckin crazy right?’” He looked at Dylan. “And there are about three crying-laughing emojis after that.”

Dylan scoffed and shook his head. “God, he sounds like a boomer. Should we invite him along too, or wait and ask Aron?”

George furrowed his brow. “I’ll offer. If he doesn’t show up because Aron’s there, that’s his problem.”

“No, that’s still _our_ problem,” Dylan mumbled. “We need all of us, not just six.”

George ignored him and typed out a new text, asking Matt if he wanted to join the three of them for coffee. He sent it, and got an almost immediate answer.

“He says yes.”

Dylan’s eyes widened a bit. “Seriously? Damn. Guess he’s just as eager to reconnect as we are. Even if Aron’s gonna be there.”

A balloon of hope swelled in George’s chest. “Maybe he remembers.”

Raised an eyebrow. “You think so?”

George shrugged. “I mean, it’s totally possible. We remember everything, so why wouldn’t he?”

“Wouldn’t he have tried to reach out before this? Would he have even left the band if he remembered?”

“I don’t know, but I think we should ask him.”

“What would we say? ‘Hey Matt, by any chance would you remember being a hero of a magical land a thousand years ago that literally no one else but us knows about? Oh, and do you perhaps remember being a companion to one of the most dangerous dragons in the entire universe?’ Is that what we’re gonna ask him? Because I don’t think that’ll go over very well.”

“I’m just saying, it couldn’t hurt to ask.”

“Uh, actually, it could. I said we should _contact_ the others, not drive them away with shit they wouldn’t believe. We gotta ease them into it. They’ve only dreamed about it, not remembered it completely.”

“But what if—?”

“No,” Dylan interrupted before he could finish his sentence. “We’re not risking driving them away. We’ll ask a few questions, test them a little to see if they remember anything, but that’s it. Nothing more.”

George sighed. “I hate when you’re right.” He leaned back in his seat. “Man, you’re a way better right hand man now than you were back then,” he mumbled.

Dylan whipped his head to the side to look at George. _“What?_ Wait, hang on!” He pulled the car over to the side of the road and put it in park. He turned fully sideways in his seat to stare at George. _“I’m_ your right hand man?”

George furrowed his brow in confusion. “Uh, yeah? You always have been. Well, at least since the Five Islands. You’ve had my back ever since then, and you’re the only other person who knows about what we used to be. Why is this surprising?”

Dylan blinked as if processing that information. “Damn... I just always thought it was Jordon.” He stared at the floor of the car. “Shit. Alright then.” He turned back to the steering wheel. “Fuck,” he whispered as he put the car back into drive. “I never thought I was actually important to the team.” He glanced over his shoulder to see if any cars were coming up behind him. “I just thought I was here to fuck around.”

“Dude, of course you’re important to the team,” George said as they drove back onto the street. “We all are, but you especially. I would have lost my shit back in the Emperor’s Keep if not for you.”

Dylan grimaced. “Right. That.” He tapped a finger on the steering wheel, a little nervous. “I get a weird feeling that something’s going to happen. Like, soon. You get that too, or is it just me?”

George knew exactly what he was talking about. “Yeah, I get it. It’s almost like I’m sensing something, but it’s more... intense. Like, it’s not just a hero thing, it’s something a lot bigger.” He tapped his foot. “Almost like how it felt after the Five Islands, with all that magic power. You know?”

Dylan nodded. “That’s how it feels to me, too. What do you think it is?”

“I’m not sure,” George mumbled. “But I think we need to stay on our guard. I wish I’d brought my sword. I’m not getting a good vibe from anything right now. I... I think she might have something to do with it.”

“I sure fucking hope not,” Dylan said. “She could do some serious damage to Los Angeles if she was running loose around the...” His voice trailed off. He furrowed his brow. “Hang on. I think I feel something.” He pulled the car over again and put it in park. He stared out the windshield at the road.

George didn’t quite know what he was doing. “Buddy? You good?”

Dylan held up a hand. “Shh. Gimme a sec.” He glanced at George. “You feel that?”

George paused, and then he felt it. The ground was shaking.

A pit of dread settled in George’s stomach, but he couldn’t figure out why. It could have just been a normal earthquake. There was a smaller tremor just earlier, and this could have easily been a small aftershock. However, his instincts told him this was something much more dangerous than an earthquake.

“What is that?” he muttered.

“I don’t know,” Dylan whispered. He unbuckled and opened his door, and George did the same. Cars whizzed past them, but the two of them paid no attention to the traffic as they stepped out of the vehicle.

A dagger slipped into Dylan’s hand. He held it tight as the tremors grew stronger. People on the sidewalks held onto each other to stay upright, and a few people began running indoors.

“This isn’t an earthquake,” Dylan mumbled.

A deafening _crack_ echoed through the air as the street split in half. Cars screeched to a halt. The ground rumbled, and the crack widened into a chasm. It pulled the street apart, lengthening until it snaked between two buildings on one side of the street. People screamed and ran, and for good reason. People were crawling out of the chasm, but they weren’t exactly people. Their skin was pale as snow, almost translucent, and it stretched thinly over their bones. Battered armor hung off their bodies, and a variety of weapons were clutched in their bony hands.

Fear flooded into Dylan’s head. “Fuck no,” he whispered.

One undead soldier turned to Dylan. Its empty black eye sockets seemed to bore right into his soul. With an enraged yell, it drew a sword and charged him.

* * *

Jorel held Tiger close to his chest as Vanessa frantically locked the front door. He’d already locked the back one and most of the windows, but Vanessa had shoved Tiger into his arms and taken care of the rest herself.

“Turn on the news,” she said, locking the kitchen window.

Jorel snatched up the remote and flicked the channels until it got to the news. “Nothing so far,” he called.

He raised a hand and nervously chewed on the nail of his thumb. Those tremors had shown up so unexpectedly, and while everyone thought they were just an earthquake at first, people started posting videos and pictures on the streets of these odd, pale, humanoid creatures wielding medieval weapons. Everyone was concerned, wondering if it was some sort of zombie apocalypse. Others thought it was staged by the government, made to kill people for population control. Whatever it was, Jorel and Vanessa had holed themselves up inside so nothing could get them.

Hopefully.

However, something strange had begun to happen to Jorel since just before the earthquake. A surge of strength had flooded into his body, as if he was now magically supercharged with power. He felt like he could take on the entire army of creatures outside and not suffer a single scratch. He wasn’t sure why it was happening, but he hoped he could use this unexpected new strength to defend him and Vanessa if needed.

He turned back to the TV. A new broadcast had appeared on screen, and as he thought, it was about this earthquake and the creatures it brought. His mouth almost fell open in shock when he saw the live feed being filmed form a helicopter. A huge chasm spanned the street. The rumbling of the ground was punctuated with loud cracking as the fissure widened and split the city apart. His heart pounded in his ears as terror built in his chest. Oh god, how far would it spread? Would it reach their house? Were all of his friends okay? What about his family?

He wanted to look away, but he couldn’t tear his eyes off the screen as a fissure snaked towards a building. It tore through the ground beneath it, and the building’s foundation collapsed. It tilted and began to fall.

He turned away from the screen. He didn’t want to watch that anymore.

Vanessa finished locking everything up and rushed into the living room. Her eyes widened as they connected with the screen. “Holy shit,” she whispered. “Jorel, look.”

“I saw,” he said, his voice shaking.

“No, look,” she said again. “What the fuck is that?” Her voice sounded more mystified than fearful.

Jorel found himself turning around to look at the TV again. He thought he would only see destruction and despair, but what he saw instead shocked him.

The tall building that had begun to fall was frozen on an angle—literally. A humongous sheet of bluish-white ice had frosted up the side of the building, propping it up in the air so it wouldn’t fall.

“What the hell?” the cameraman muttered. “Do we have anybody on the ground who can get this?”

The feed flickered. It switched to a view on the street. The person behind the camera struggled to hold their device steady, but they managed to keep it pointed upwards at the tilted building. They panned downwards, muttering under their breath in confusion as a few of the armored creatures ran past.

They settled the view straight ahead, and Jorel’s breath caught in his throat when he saw the person standing at the base of the building.

“What the hell is George doing there?”

* * *

Jordon almost dropped his remote. “Oh my god, he’s stupid,” Jordon whispered.

Randi watched the screen with wide eyes, holding Jack tightly in her arms. “What is he doing? He could die out there.”

Jordon didn’t have an answer. He just watched as George stepped back from the building. It could have been Jordon’s imagination, but he could have sworn that the ice holding up the building had spread from where George stood.

Another person appeared in the crowd and rushed up to stand next to George, and Jordon’s heart skipped a beat when he recognized their curly brown hair. It was difficult to hear through the screaming and yelling in the streets, but Dylan’s loud, cheerful voice carried over all the others.

“Hell yeah, the Elsa powers are back! Go clean up the streets, I’ll take care of these fuckers!”

Jordon found himself shaking with fear for the two of them. What the fuck were they doing out there? Why weren’t they safe indoors? No doubt Asia and Anna were watching the same broadcast. They must have been worried out of their minds! If Dylan and George died out there, their families would be devastated.

On screen, George turned around and looked at the camera. Dylan ran off, and it could have been a glitch in the feed, but it looked like he disappeared into a cloud of shadows as he ran away.

Jordon stood, with James in his arms. He couldn’t explain why, but the urge to rush out there and help welled up inside him. He knew he couldn’t go out there, especially because he had a family he had to stay with. If something got in the house, he and Randi had to keep Jack and James safe. He should have just sat back down on the couch, but something stirred inside him, making him feel restless, like he just had to do something. It wouldn’t let him sit back down.

He passed by Randi and went to the door to the kitchen. She didn’t seem to notice. Her gaze was frozen on the screen.

He nudged the kitchen door open and started pacing back and forth across the room. He couldn’t stay still. Some sort of power rippled beneath the surface, and it felt familiar somehow, but try as he might, he just couldn’t place how.

He gently bounced James in his arms as he paced. What was he supposed to do?

* * *

“Why are you pacing?”

Danny glanced up and looked at the door. Reese stood there with Roman in her arms as Danny walked back and forth across the kitchen.

“I don’t know,” he muttered. He just couldn’t sit still. He was overwhelmed with worry. George and Dylan were outside, in the middle of all this chaos. They could die at any second. Danny couldn’t even imagine his life without the two of them, without Hollywood Undead. And if Johnny 3 Tears and Funny Man were gone, there was no doubt their band would fall to shambles. He couldn’t even comprehend the possibility of life without them. All the grief from their friends, their family, their fans...

Aside from that, he found that he couldn’t stay still. An energy buzzed in his head, but he couldn’t for the life of him figure out what it was or why it was there. It wouldn’t let him stand still for a second.

He knew he didn’t usually pace like this, but he couldn’t help it. He was way too tempted to rush out there and try to help George and Dylan somehow, and keeping himself busy by walking around was the only way to keep himself inside the house. He hopped up and down on the balls of his feet as he walked, trying to expel some of the pent-up energy in his body.

Reese glanced behind her at the TV. She shot one more worried look at Danny before she turned and went back into the living room.

Danny leaned back against the counter, gripping the edge with his fists in an attempt to stop moving. He found himself rocking back and forth on his feet, unable to stay still. Every sense was on high alert. Adrenaline rushed through his veins, but he couldn’t do anything about it.

He clenched his jaw, unsure of what to do. He desperately wanted to rush out there and help George and Dylan, but he wouldn’t know how. Besides, he had to stay inside with his family. They were all scared, and so was he. He couldn’t just run out there with no plan, anyway. He’d get slaughtered, or fall into a chasm, or...

He swallowed. He needed to do something.

He just didn’t know what.


	6. Reunion

Aron sprinted harder than he ever had in his life. God, why did he have to choose today to go outside?

He cursed under his breath. He should have just stayed in his apartment, working on his half-finished music like usual. Who cared if the guys of his old band wanted to reconnect? He should have ignored that call and stayed home!

He turned to an alleyway and kept running. Most of those freakish soldiers stayed out on the street, so as long as he could stay more or less hidden, all he had to worry about was the fact that the entire city was falling apart at the seams. He just had to find some stable ground.

He turned down another alleyway and crashed into someone else running the opposite way. He toppled backward, and the person he slammed into fell beside him. “Fuck!” a familiar hoarse voice shouted.

Aron scrambled to his feet and blinked when he saw who’d he’d bumped into. “Matt?”

The man on the ground looked up, both hands clutching his nose. His curly black hair stuck to his face with sweat, and his blue eyes shone with fear. “Aron?”

Now was not the time to acknowledge old grudges, so Aron bent down and helped Matt to his feet. “You good?”

Matt nodded. “Yeah. Think my nose hit your head.”

The ground rumbled. All thoughts of conversation left their minds, and they both ran in the same direction down another alley. “Do you know what’s going on?” Aron shouted in a panic.

“No clue!” Matt yelled back, his voice shaking with terror. He took his hands away from his face. Blood dribbled from his nose and dripped over his lip. He swiped at it as he ran side by side with Aron. Neither one knew what the hell was going on, but they made a silent agreement to stick together until they could reach safety.

Meanwhile, George and Dylan were busy fighting for their lives.

George ducked as an undead soldier swung a sword at his head. He swiped an arm at the ground, and a huge icicle shot up and pierced through its chest. He didn’t know how he’d gotten his ice powers back, but by God, he was glad to have them. If he didn’t, he’d be defenseless.

The ground shook. He stumbled and almost fell, but he managed to keep his footing. A fissure snaked towards another building. People screamed and ran as it spread through the street. Someone’s foot caught on the edge of the fissure and she tripped. She shrieked as her foot slipped and she toppled into the ground.

George rushed forward, desperately hoping that maybe he could help before something happened to her, but a thin black chain whipped towards her out of nowhere and wrapped around her waist. The chain yanked her back onto the street.

“Hey, Georgie.”

George yelped in surprise and whirled around. A vaguely humanoid shadow stood behind him, twirling a dagger on a chain in one hand. Dylan’s face appeared in the shadowy mist.

“Fuckin’ hell, don’t scare me,” George muttered.

Dylan’s gaze travelled upward. “Watch your head.”

He disappeared in a cloud of shadows. George turned around again to see an apartment building crumbling from the bottom up as its foundation collapsed. It tilted forward over George’s head.

“Shit!” George swiped a hand in its direction. A burst of ice shot from his hand and hit the ground at the base of the building. Ice spread into the concrete, filling in the cracks under the building and freezing it half-tilted over the street. People were gathered around the windows, staring out at the street with fear.

George flicked his hand towards the ground. Ice burst from the street, forming a slide from the side of the building to the ground in case the people decided they wanted to leave. They couldn’t exactly leave through the door, since it was half in the ground and partially covered in ice.

He glanced around. Most of the undead soldiers were chasing after cars that were speeding away from the chaotic scene, but a few had focused on the people. A group of them had cornered a cluster of civilians, most of which were clutching each other and screaming. He spotted one young boy crying in the middle of the group.

George swiped a hand towards the soldiers. A handful of icicles flew from his hand and pierced through their armor. They collapsed in a heap.

George watched as a black dagger on a chain whipped out of nowhere and latched around an undead soldier’s neck. “Nice one, Georgie!” Dylan’s voice shouted from somewhere in the chaos.

George cracked his knuckles. Frost spread around him at his feet, tiny icicles poking up from the concrete. He and Dylan were the only things standing between the citizens of Los Angeles and the undead soldiers running rampant through the streets.

And he wasn’t going to let any of these fucking soldiers destroy his city.

* * *

Asia almost dropped the remote when she saw her husband on screen.

She stared in shock, Chloe held close to her chest. She knew George was a dumbass, but she didn’t think he was dumb enough to stay outside when Los Angeles was being torn apart!

She watched as the cameraman panned across the street. It was extremely difficult to see, especially since the cameraman was skittering around trying not to get hit by stray weapons or fall into any chasms, but she would recognize George anywhere. He bustled about in the middle of the chaos, dodging weapons and killing those creepy undead people left and right. She watched as he flicked his wrist, and what could have been a bolt of ice shot from his hand and impaled itself in the head of an undead warrior. He swiped another hand towards a building, and a pillar of ice shot from the ground, freezing the building in place before it could topple onto the street. It was impossible, but it seemed like he had somehow gained ice powers—fucking _ice powers_ —in the last couple minutes.

Asia put an arm around Ava, partially to comfort her daughter, but partially to find some comfort herself. She had half a mind to march out there and drag George all the way back to the house.

But she couldn’t leave Ava alone with Chloe in the house like this, and she certainly wasn’t going to bring her daughters outside. She just watched as George ran about in the streets.

For some odd reason, she began to wonder once again about George and his “workout sessions” with Dylan. The cuts and bruises he kept coming home with weren’t just caused by minor mishaps. She knew that much. He always left the house with the same duffel bag, and while she assumed he only kept his workout clothes in there, she had a sneaking suspicion that a change of clothes wasn’t all he carried around.

She turned and started towards the stairs. Ava followed after her, and Asia couldn’t blame her for not wanting to be separated from her mother. Total disaster had struck Los Angeles. No one wanted to be alone and defenseless.

Asia entered her bedroom. The floor was mostly clean, only a few of George’s shirts tossed about carelessly. His duffel bag sat in front of the closet, still zipped up.

She carefully crouched down, holding Chloe a bit tighter so she wouldn’t fall. She reached out and unzipped the duffel bag.

Somehow, what she found inside didn’t surprise her in the least. A long broadsword sat half-buried under a black shirt. The hilt was blue, and a butterfly was engraved into the hilt. The blade was sheathed. She pushed the sword aside. Underneath it was a shield painted blue and lined with silver, with butterflies carved into the silver edges.

She stood and held Chloe out to Ava. “Can you hold her, please?”

Ava took Chloe from her mother’s arms, still shaking a little from the initial shock of the sudden danger in the city. Asia knelt back down and took the hilt of the sword. She pulled it from the bag, struggling a bit under its weight. She set it down and grabbed the shield in both hands. It was heavier than the sword. She couldn’t imagine how anyone would be able to carry each of them in one hand, but then again, George was quite strong. She didn’t doubt that he would be able to fight with these.

She grabbed the sword in one hand and tucked the shield under arm. She didn’t know how, but she just knew that she had to get these to George. Something about them was important, but she didn’t know what. A thought nudged at the edges of her memories, but try as she might, she couldn’t grasp it.

“Mom?”

Asia looked at Ava. She was staring at Asia with wide eyes that shone with fear, clutching Chloe close to her chest. Asia had to get these weapons to George, but she couldn’t leave her kids alone, especially in this situation. What kind of mom would she be if she left them to fend for themselves?

Asia looked down at the sword in her hand. What was she supposed to do?

* * *

Vanessa tried to refrain from chewing on her perfectly manicured nails as she stared at the screen. The camera had switched from the ground view back to the helicopter, but that didn’t make her any less tense. Fissures spanned the streets, destroying the foundation of the city. She didn’t know if the destruction would spread as far as their house, but she desperately hoped it wouldn’t. Those odd creatures crawling out of the ground hadn’t yet shown up on their street, but she was totally prepared to sick Tiger on them the second they broke down the door.

Jorel had resorted to pacing around the house with Tiger in his arms. He couldn’t seem to stay still, which was unusual for him. He was usually so chill. However, she couldn’t blame him for getting worked up. Everyone was scared out of their minds now.

Vanessa just couldn’t tear her gaze away from the screen. Ice shot upwards in pillars, propping up falling buildings. She couldn’t think of a single thing that could explain it. She found it a little hard to process. Where was the ice coming from?

The doorbell rang. Vanessa and Jorel almost jumped out of their skin at the sound. “Holy fuck,” Jorel blurted.

Vanessa left the living room and made a beeline for the door. She peeked through the window.

“Who is it?” Jorel asked.

Vanessa unlocked the door and opened it. “Asia?”

Asia stood in the doorway, Chloe close to her chest, Ava clinging to her arm with terrified eyes. For some reason, a sword in a sheath was strapped to her belt, and a leather strap hung off her shoulder. A shield hung off her back, attached to the strap.

“I hate to ask this of you,” Asia said. “But I need to get something to George. Can you watch Ava and Chloe?”

Vanessa blinked in surprise. Half of Asia’s personality revolved around being a mom, and now she was asking someone else to watch her kids in this crisis?

“Are you seriously going to go out there?” Vanessa asked. “You can’t, you could—” She stopped mid-sentence. She didn’t want to voice the possibility of Asia dying when her terrified daughter was right there. “You could get hurt,” she said instead.

“I know,” Asia said, a breathless desperation in her voice. “But please, I need to. I can’t explain. I don’t even know how. But he needs something, and I need to get it to him.” She stared at Vanessa with wide, pleading eyes. “Please.”

Vanessa hesitated. She looked down at Ava’s teary eyes, then back at Asia. Vanessa’s shoulders slumped in defeat. She couldn’t say no. Somehow, she knew that this was important, and Asia had to go.

Vanessa nodded. “Yeah, we can do that.”

Asia lunged forward and briefly hugged Vanessa. “Thank you so much,” she whispered. She stepped back and wrapped one arm around Ava, the other still holding Chloe. Ava latched her arms around her mother, squeezing so tight Vanessa thought she would never let go.

Finally, Asia pulled away from Ava. “I’ll be right back,” she said quietly, a reassuring smile on her face. “Me and your dad are gonna come right back, and we’ll be fine. Okay?”

Ava nodded. Asia kissed her forehead and straightened. She held Chloe out to Vanessa. “Could you take her?”

Vanessa carefully took Chloe into her arms. Asia leaned down and gave Chloe a kiss on the nose. “I’ll be back, sweetie.” She gave Ava another quick hug before she left the doorway. Ava’s eyes filled with tears, but she stepped into the house. Vanessa put an arm around Ava’s shoulders and gently squeezed, trying to reassure her.

Asia rushed back to her car, which she’d parked next to the sidewalk outside the house. She kept glancing back to look at her kids as she left.

As soon as Asia drove away, Ava turned and wrapped her arms around Vanessa, shaking as she held back terrified sobs. Vanessa wasn’t used to comforting upset children, but she did her best. She gently rubbed Ava’s back with the hand that didn’t have a hold on Chloe. She glanced at Jorel, who was still staring in shock at the door and cradling Tiger like a baby. She nodded at Chloe, and Jorel seemed to get the message. He set Tiger down and rushed over to take Chloe so Vanessa could properly hug Ava.

Jorel raised an eyebrow at the space where Asia’s car had been parked. “Do you have any idea what she’s doing?” he whispered.

Vanessa followed his gaze. Thousands of questions raced through her mind. “No clue.”

* * *

Aron and Matt stumbled over a lifted piece of concrete as they ran. Matt almost fell on his face, but Aron grabbed his arm and hauled him up. They ducked past a stray swinging sword and the creepy undead soldier holding it. Neither of them knew exactly where they were or how to get somewhere safe. All they knew was that they had to get to safety somehow.

Aron’s foot caught on a fallen weapon and he toppled to the ground. Matt skidded to a stop to help him to his feet. “You good?”

Aron nodded. He grabbed Matt’s hand and pulled himself to his feet. Something moved behind Matt and Aron’s eyes widened. He grabbed Matt’s shoulder and pushed him down just as an undead warrior swung a sword over their heads. They both skittered backwards as the warrior raised its weapon.

A black dagger flew past the sword on a chain and twined around the blade. The chain yanked the sword out of the zombie soldier’s grasp. Another dagger whipped towards the soldier and sliced clean through its head.

Matt felt bile rise in his throat as the soldier’s head slid off its neck and fell to the ground. Its body crumpled after it. Matt covered his mouth with one hand. He was not going to throw up in the middle of this chaos.

He and Aron looked up. The daggers on their chains reeled themselves back towards a shadowy silhouette in the middle of the road. Its form rippled as it moved, and Aron and Matt backed away. Whatever it was, they didn’t want to come into contact with it.

“Guys?” a familiar voice shouted. The shadow disappeared, and they both shrieked in alarm as it materialized right in front of them. A face appeared in the shadows, and their panic went down a little when they noticed that it was Dylan Alvarez. Somehow, his body had completely turned into darkness.

They both blinked. “What... are you?” Matt muttered.

“It’s complicated,” Dylan said. He looked up as a building began to fall nearby. “You guys gotta get somewhere safe. Hang on.”

He reached out and grabbed their shoulders. Matt was about to ask what he was doing when the world suddenly went dark. All the sound disappeared, and when he tried to move, he found that his body simply wasn’t there anymore. He almost wanted to scream, but he couldn’t even if he tried.

His body appeared out of nowhere, and along with it came his sense of hearing and his ability to see. His stomach churned as soon as it solidified, and he doubled over, his hands on his knees.

“What the fuck was that?” Aron’s voice said shakily next to him.

“Just stay here,” Dylan’s voice replied. “You’ll be safe. I hope.”

Matt looked up just as the shadow that was Dylan Alvarez disappeared. He blinked and realized with a start that they were no longer on the street. They stood on a beach, clearly one of the ones that wasn’t as popular as the others. Hardly any beach towels had been laid out on the sand.

Aron glanced around. “What the fuck?” he whispered. He let out a nervous laugh. “What the fuck is going on?”

Matt swallowed, still waiting for his nausea to pass. “I don’t know.”

Dylan wondered if he did the right thing, sending Matt and Aron to the beach where they might find their dragons, but he decided not to dwell on it. He still had a battle to fight.

His body phased out of existence just as an undead soldier swung its spear at him. He had no idea how he’d gotten his shadow powers back, but he was glad he did. It made fighting much easier.

He looked up at a building that had begun to fall and saw that George was still doing his job well. The building had barely tipped over when George had frozen it in place. However, since George was so busy keeping the city together, that meant he was more or less defenseless against the soldiers in the streets.

Dylan spun his daggers on his chains. He wasn’t going to let anything hurt George. Not when the city needed him.

Despite all the ice, George was almost sweating from the effort of using his power so much. He didn’t know how much longer he could keep this up, but he had to keep trying.

A fissure snaked towards another building. People screamed as it began to fall, and he flicked his wrist in its direction. Ice spread from the ground and froze the building in place. His chest heaved. How was he supposed to keep the city together like this?

A dagger on a chain whipped past his face and buried itself in the chest of a soldier that he only just now noticed had been about to shoot him with a crossbow. “Watch your head, George!” Dylan’s voice yelled.

George just nodded. He didn’t have the energy to answer.

“George!”

He paused at the familiar voice. No. No, she wasn’t here. She’d have to be stupider than he was to go out here!

He frantically glanced around, searching for the source of the voice. It called his name again, and his gaze fell on a car parked on the other side of a chasm. Undead soldiers had stopped pouring out of the ground, leaving his view mostly clear. Sheer panic filled his mind when he saw the person that stepped out of the car.

Asia hopped out, not bothering to close the door behind her. “George!” she shouted, waving her hand.

“What the hell are you doing here?” he blurted. Oh god, Asia was here, and she was unarmed, and she could die—

Except... she wasn’t unarmed. A quick once-over made him see that she had a sword strapped to her belt. The scabbard almost touched the ground, the end of it just hitting her ankles as she stood on her tiptoes and waved. A shield too big for her was slung over her back.

She stopped waving once she was sure he saw her. She unstrapped the leather cord holding up the shield and set it on the ground for a moment as she went to unhook the sword’s sheath. She held the sword in both hands. “Catch!”

She threw the sword with all her might. She had a better arm than she thought, because it soared over the chasm and almost overshot him. He reached up and managed to catch it by the hilt.

Asia hefted the shield in both hands and threw it like a frisbee, the leather strap flailing around as it spun in the air. He lunged forward and caught it in his free hand before it could fall to the ground.

He looked up at her. She was breathing heavily, as though those two throws had cost her a lot of energy. He wouldn’t be surprised. They were heavy weapons.

He swiftly latched the sword’s sheath onto his belt and strapped his shield to his arm. “Go find safety!” he shouted. “I’ll be fine!”

She nodded. His eyes widened when he saw an undead soldier running up to her from the street behind her.

“Asia!” he yelled in a panic.

She whirled around. She yelped and ducked out of the way just as the soldier’s spear swung down at her. She scooped up an abandoned sword off the street and raised it just as the soldier jabbed at her again. The spear’s shaft caught on the blade and she twisted it, flinging the spear from the soldier’s hand. She whirled the sword around and jabbed it right through the soldier’s chest.

She lowered the weapon, panting heavily. She turned back to look at George. Her hair was a mess, hanging in her face in curled strands. He brushed it out of her face, her eyes gleaming with adrenaline and excitement.

George found himself smiling. He didn’t think he had ever been more in love with her than he was right then.

Asia knelt down and picked up a discarded scabbard for the sword. She quickly hooked it to her belt and sheathed the blade. She gave George one last smile and a wave before she hopped back into the car. She sped away, slamming the vehicle against a stray undead soldier along the way.

George hefted his shield and tightened his grip on his sword. _Now_ he was ready for battle.

* * *

Aron and Matt stumbled as the ground shook. They automatically clung to each other to keep themselves from falling over. They thought maybe the destruction in the middle of the city was spreading to where they were, and they glanced around for any sign of a fissure opening the ground. They couldn’t die now! Why did all of this have to be happening in Los Angeles?

Waves rolled through the ocean, growing higher and higher until the white foam crashed down on the sand in front of them. They backed away from the surf, desperately hoping this wasn’t going to turn into a tsunami.

A creature rose from the depths. The two of them gaped in awe at the monstrous being that broke the water. Its blue scales shone in the sunlight, and it unfurled its giant orange wings from its sides. It horns seemed to pierce the sky as it straightened to its full height. It opened its maw, and the roar that exploded from its throat was deafening. Aron and Matt clamped their hands over their ears to block out the sound.

The beast launched out of the ocean and soared into the sky. Water droplets rained down on Aron and Matt as it flew over the beach towards the city. The two of them stared in shocked awe at it as it flew away.

The ground rumbled again and they clung to each other in fear. The sand shifted at their feet, and they stepped backward, hoping against hope that the ground wouldn’t split into a chasm beneath them.

Something poked up out of the sand. The shiny head of an odd snake-like creature popped from the ground, only it was much bigger than a snake. Translucent frills of blue feathers stuck out of the back of its head, and shining pink gemstones circled its head like a tiara. It blinked its pink eyes and shook the sand off its head. It glanced about, and its gaze fell on Aron. With a squeak, it scrambled out of the sand. Its hide glittered like a disco ball in the sunlight, and its transparent blue wings cast a blue hue on the sand. Pink stones shone all over its body. It shook the rest of the sand off it and trotted up to Aron and Matt on all fours.

Matt started to back away, but he paused when Aron didn’t step back with him. Matt tugged on his sleeve. “Dude, come on! We have to move!”

But Aron’s gaze was fixed on the shiny creature. It stopped in front of him and sat in the sand, staring at him intently. It shifted impatiently where it sat and squeaked, as if waiting for Aron to say something.

Matt let go of Aron and started backing away again. He had no idea what that thing was, but if Aron wanted to let it attack him, Matt wasn’t going to try standing in its way.

The ground shook again. Without another person to hold onto, Matt tumbled to the ground. His nose still dribbled with blood, and he swiped at it as another creature poked its head out of the sand.

Its scales were mostly white, dappled with grey stripes. A fanned crest rested on its throat, a brownish shade of orange decorated with lighter orange whorls. Red spikes trailed down the back of its neck. Fangs poked up over its lip and down over its jaw, and four tiny horns poked out of the back of both sides of its face. Its dark purple eyes flickered across the landscape before they came to rest on Matt.

As soon as Matt saw the creature, a strange feeling overcame him. It almost felt as if he recognized it, but that was crazy. He was sure he’d never seen anything like this before. However, he just couldn’t ignore the unexpected fondness that swelled in his chest at the sight of this strange creature.

It wriggled out of the sand. Its wings, the same colour as the crest under its chin, unfurled from its sides. It blinked at Matt and slowly took a step forward.

A tremor shook the ground again. Aron and Matt stumbled, and the two creatures skittered nervously. The sand shifted, and before their eyes, the head of a new creature began to rise from the ground. Sand poured off its huge antler-like horns as it pushed itself out of the beach. Matt grabbed Aron’s shoulder to stay steady on his feet. The new creature towered over the beach, and only its head was visible. It shook its head, sending sand flying through the air. Yellow fur trailed down its neck in a line, and white spikes stuck straight up out of the fur. The beast opened its mouth as if it was yawning, and fear lanced through Matt’s heart when he saw the rows of razor sharp teeth in its maw.

The beast closed its mouth. It blinked, and Matt’s blood ran cold when it turned its head to look at him. Its dark violet eyes bored into his soul.

“Holy fuck,” he whispered.


	7. The Heroes' Call

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> my three braincells have come up with a stupid idea for another fucking fic for this god damn series after this one is done. i'm probably not going to write it because i'm trying to resolve all the conflicts in this one but FUCK my author brain is going feral right now

Jorel couldn’t stop pacing. Some sort of energy flowed through his veins, but he had no idea what it was or why it was there.

He stayed in the kitchen with Chloe as Vanessa sat with Ava in the living room. He gently bounced Chloe in his arms, an easier way to release some of his pent-up energy than pacing back and forth. Chloe seemed to be asleep. He wondered what she thought of her mom and dad leaving to throw themselves into danger.

Well, Chloe probably didn’t think anything of it. Ava was the one who had the capacity to be concerned. She must have been worried out of her mind. If her parents didn’t come back...

Jorel shook his head. Of course they’d come back. He couldn’t let himself think anything otherwise.

He glanced at the TV. The helicopter was still filming what was going on, and a reporter was speaking over the footage. He blocked out her voice and just focused on the images on screen. Ice coated half the street, propping up buildings before they could fall. A sheet of ice had covered a chasm, allowing trapped cars to drive away from the chaos.

He swallowed and turned away. His heart hammered in his chest as if he’d just ran ten miles. He bounced on the balls of his feet. The overwhelming urge to do something rose up inside him. He just didn’t know _what_ to do.

He walked to the living room and past the couch where Vanessa and Ava sat. He stood at the window and stared out at the backyard. The destruction hadn’t spread to them yet, and he wasn’t eager for it to reach them.

Something moved in the grass outside. He furrowed his brow and squinted.

A tail of some sort of creature flicked behind the trunk of the tree in their backyard. On the other side of the trunk, the head of the creature peeked out from behind the tree. A white snout poked into view. Two wide red eyes blinked at the window, and above them, two tiny green horns stuck out of its head.

He stared at it. An unexpected feeling of overwhelming fondness enveloped him at the sight of this tiny creature, but he couldn’t pinpoint why. He had to go outside to see it.

He walked over to Vanessa and held Chloe out to her. “Can you?”

Vanessa took Chloe without a word. Jorel started towards the back door, eager to go out and see what that tiny beast was.

“Where are you going?” Vanessa asked, a pang of fear in her voice.

“Just give me a minute,” he said, unlocking the door.

Vanessa stood as he opened the door. “Jorel Decker, don’t you dare—!”

He ignored her and ran outside, leaving the door open behind him. He looked at the tree. The little creature was no longer visible, but he knew it was still there. He wanted to run towards it, shouting its name with glee, but he didn’t know its name or what it was.

Instead, he stopped a short distance away from the tree and crouched low to the ground. “Hey,” he said softly. “You can come out. I won’t hurt you.”

He waited a moment. The creature stuck its snout out from behind the tree, staring at Jorel with wide red eyes. It blinked. A quiet whine emanated from its throat.

Jorel couldn’t explain why, but this little animal inspired such a deep feeling of happiness in him that the tears began to spill over his cheeks. He wiped at them with one hand. He couldn’t remember the last time he cried.

He held out a hand and gestured for the creature to come closer, the same way he would do with a stray cat on the side of the road. “Hey. It’s okay.”

The creature slowly stepped out from its hiding place. Two red wings were attached to its short front arms, and two more were folded to its sides. Its body was long and white. Its legs finally came into view with two more wings attached to them. Its long tail flicked behind it and it kneaded the ground with its front claws. Somehow, Jorel knew this meant the creature was nervous, so he held his hand out for it to sniff.

The creature hesitated, but it stepped forward and stopped in front of him. It briefly sniffed the back of his hand and looked up at him. It cocked its head. He could have sworn that he saw tears gleaming in its eyes.

He choked back an ecstatic sob. The fondness he held for this small animal was unexpected. He had no idea why he felt this way, but there was some sort of familiarity mixed in with the happiness. He felt as though he knew this creature, but he couldn’t for the life of him place its name or even what it was.

But one thing was for sure: he knew this creature, and now that he found it, he didn’t want to be separated from it ever again.

“I know you,” he whispered.

The creature’s ears perked up. It whined and shifted on its feet.

His smile widened. “I know you,” he repeated, with more confidence now. He was certain. He knew this little creature.

It bounced on its feet and squeaked with excitement. Tears spilled over its face, and he reached out and brushed them away. The creature nuzzled into his hand. It chirped and scampered around him in a circle. He stood up and watched with joy as it skidded across the ground. It stopped in front of him with a squeak. The creature chirped and jumped at him, crawling over his chest, across his shoulders, down his leg, back on the ground, and then back up his leg. He couldn’t help the ecstatic laugh that left his lips as the creature skittered around him, chirping and squeaking with glee. It crawled up to his chest and clung to his shirt, licking at his face frantically. He scratched the creature behind the horns, tears of joy leaking from his eyes.

The creature finally stopped licking him and stared into his eyes. It squirmed and whined, staring at him expectantly.

He stared back, still scratching it behind the horns. “I should know your name,” he muttered thoughtfully. “I know I should. I just... can’t remember. What are you? Why do I... why do I know you?”

The creature wriggled out of his arms and scampered back over to the tree. He watched as it disappeared behind the trunk, then reappeared with something in its mouth.

It trotted across the ground towards Jorel, an iron spear between its teeth. It stopped at his feet and spat the spear onto the grass. The creature looked up at him as though waiting for something.

He leaned down and took the spear. Something about holding it in his grip felt familiar. He tossed it from hand to hand, testing its weight. It felt perfectly balanced. He switched it to one hand and twirled it in his fingers. He hit the pommel on the ground to stop it. Memories tugged at his mind, but there were so many, he couldn’t decipher any of them.

He looked down at the little creature. It had ducked back behind the tree to grab something else, and his breath caught in his throat when he saw what it was dragging with it.

A white cloak was clamped between its teeth. The end of the fabric glowed with embers, and red liquid poured off the shoulders. A large red dollar sign dominated the centre of the cloak.

The creature stopped and propped itself up on its hind legs, holding the cloak up in its mouth. Jorel leaned down and took the cloak from the creature’s mouth. He held it in his hands and ran his thumb over the green triangle that made up the clasp. The overall design seemed to resemble his masks from Hollywood Undead, but why?

“Jorel?”

Jorel turned around to see Vanessa in the doorway. She cradled Chloe in her arms, and Ava stood next to her. Ava clung to Vanessa’s arm and stared at the tiny creature in awe.

The creature hopped up onto Jorel’s shoulders and curled its tail around his torso. The weight of it on his shoulders felt familiar, almost comforting. He reached up with one hand and pet it on the head. “I think I have to go,” he said.

“You are not leaving this house,” Vanessa said firmly. “Not with all this shit going on. You’re staying here.”

He stared at her with a growing sense of guilt. He couldn’t stay. He had to do something. He didn’t know what was going on or why he had to leave, but finding George and Dylan were top priority at the moment.

He shook his head, backing up towards the edge of the backyard. “I’m really sorry, V.”

Spear in one hand and cloak in the other, the strange winged creature around his shoulders, he turned and ran as Vanessa shouted his name after him.

* * *

Jordon hopped up and down on the balls of his feet, James still in his arms. He couldn’t understand why he couldn’t stay still! He was usually calm in times of stress, but a strange energy buzzed in his head, urging him to go outside and do something about whatever was going on.

Randi had tore her gaze away from the screen and was instead staring out the window, carrying Jack in her arms. “This is fucking ridiculous,” she whispered. She didn’t usually swear around the kids, but in this tragedy, he couldn’t blame her for hauling out the f-bomb in Jack’s presence. The city was falling apart at the seams.

Jordon heard Randi gasp at the window. “What the fuck is that?” she squeaked. She skittered away, her eyes wide.

Jordon rushed over to the window to see what she caught sight of. He stared outside, but he didn’t see anything.

“It’s in the sky,” Randi whispered.

He turned his gaze toward the sky and his jaw almost dropped. A large grey and white shape descended upon the city. Jordon stared in shock as it flew down toward the street. A line of spiky ridges trailed down its back, and its narrow orange eyes gleamed in the sunlight.

Jordon watched as it landed in the street outside. It folded its wings to its sides and looked around at each of the houses. Jordon spotted some of his neighbors through the windows of their houses running around in a panic, but most of his attention was focused on the creature in the street. It was as big as a house, and while the sight of it should have been terrifying, it brought forth some kind of relief in Jordon. Happiness swelled inside him at the sight of this beast, but he couldn’t explain why.

The creature’s eyes locked on him and a smile spread across his face. For some strange reason, this creature’s friendly gaze felt almost familiar.

The creature opened its mouth, and Jordon could hear the excited squawk it made from outside. He turned to Randi and held out James. “Can you take him for a second?”

Randi furrowed her brow, but she set Jack down and took James from Jordon’s arms. “Why? What are you doing?”

Jordon smiled out the window. “Saying hi to an old friend.”

He rushed to the door and flung it open, despite Randi’s panicked shouts. He ran down the steps of the porch and onto the street. The creature squeaked and turned its head to watch him, its tail swishing back and forth across the street like an excited dog.

He reached the end of his driveway and slowed to a stop. The beast blinked down at him. It lowered itself so it was lying on the street and rested its head in front of him. The top of its head only reached above his waist, and it looked up at him with its warm orange eyes. Its wings folded to its sides as it whined.

Still smiling, he stepped forward and extended a hand to pat it on the nose. The creature’s throat rumbled in a purr as he ran a hand over its rough grey scales. Memories swam to the surface of his mind, but there were so many, he couldn’t process all of them. However, he gleaned one thing from the jumble of memories: he knew this beast. It was a friend to him. He didn’t know how he knew it, or when he met it, or why they were friends, but he knew that it wouldn’t hurt him. It wasn’t dangerous.

“Jordon?” Randi’s voice said behind him. “What the hell is that?”

Jordon glanced back at her. She was staring wide eyed at the creature, mouth hanging open in shock.

He struggled to find an answer to her question. “I’m not sure,” he said finally, still petting the creature. “I... I think I know it, though.” He furrowed his brow at the beast. “I should know your name, shouldn’t I? You have one. I know you do. Why don’t I remember it? Why don’t I remember you?”

The beast’s throat rumbled. It tilted its head forward. Tied around the base of one of the ridges lining its back was a leather bag.

Jordon skirted around its head and stood on his tiptoes to reach the bag. He swiftly untied it and brought it down from the creature’s neck. He didn’t know what was inside it, but he wasn’t surprised at all when he opened it.

A grey bundle of fabric sat inside. He pulled it out and slung the bag over his shoulder so he could unfold the fabric. A cloak with a hood hung from his hands. A white silhouette of a city decorated the bottom of the cloak, and the letters CS were written in calligraphy in the centre. The fabric rippled, like smoke trailing up into the sky from the city at the edge.

He draped the cloak over his arm and reached into the bag again. A belt with two holsters attached emerged from the leather bag, and inside the holsters sat two revolvers. Both were fully loaded. He didn’t think having guns was a good idea, but something told him he was meant to have these.

He fastened the belt around his waist and clasped the cloak around his shoulders. It may have clashed a little with his plaid shirt, but that wasn’t his primary concern right now. The way the cloak fell on his shoulders just felt right.

The creature purred again. Jordon glanced back at Randi. “I think I have to go,” he said. He wasn’t sure how he knew that he had to leave, but he just did. He had to go help George and Dylan with whatever was going on.

Randi blinked at Jordon and the creature. “Jordon, what the fuck? You... where are you going? What are you doing?”

Jordon hesitated. Even he didn’t know what was going on. However, he figured he might get some answers if he followed his instincts.

He jogged over to the creature’s back and hauled himself up. “Sorry Randi. I might be able to explain later.” He held on tight to one of the creature’s ridges. “I love you.”

The creature spread its wings. Jordon yelped as it launched into the air. He hoped he wouldn’t fall off, but somehow he knew this creature wouldn’t let him. It would keep him safe.

He looked down at Randi, who was staring up in shock as Jordon and the beast flew away. He didn’t want to leave her behind, but he had no other choice.

He had to help.

* * *

Danny tugged on the end of his shirt as he paced through the kitchen. The rest of his family stayed in the living room, eyes glued to the disaster on the TV screen. He just couldn’t keep watching it, knowing that George and Dylan were out there too. The thought of them dying sent his heart pounding a million miles a minute. He didn’t know what he’d do if they were gone, and he couldn’t risk seeing them die on screen. He went into the kitchen, and there he would stay until George and Dylan were either dead or safe.

He had locked all the doors and windows just in case any of those horrifying armored creatures decided to attack them. Reese kept Scarlett and Roman in the living room with her. She didn’t seem to want to let them out of her sight, and Danny couldn’t blame her. If Scarlett went upstairs and one of those creatures broke a window up there...

He shook his head. He wasn’t even going to think about that possibility.

He flinched as he heard a shout from outside. He didn’t know if someone was getting attacked, but he couldn’t go out there. Reese would never let him leave the house in this situation anyway.

He twisted the ring on his left hand nervously. He couldn’t shake the feeling that he should be out there doing something about the chaos, but he didn’t know what he would do or how he would help.

He jumped as an inhuman screech echoed outside. He turned to the window to look into the backyard, searching for whatever had made the sound. It had sounded oddly familiar, despite the fact that he was sure he’d never heard that kind of sound before.

He heard the screech again and realized that it had come from the front of the house. It sounded almost like a scared animal.

He rushed out of the kitchen and into the living room, where Reese was sitting on the couch with Scarlett and Roman. She glanced up from the screen as Danny passed her. “Where are you going?”

Danny stopped at the window. He brushed the curtains aside to peek into the street. His heart leaped into his throat when he saw what was going on outside.

A group of those undead creatures were gathered on the street. They had crowded around some sort of creature, and when Danny caught sight of it, a sense of overwhelming concern washed over him. The creature was lithe and feathery, its golden feathers gleaming in the sun. Black stripes trailed down its back. It screeched again and skittered away as one of the creepy soldiers swiped at it with a sword.

Danny turned and started towards the door. He couldn’t let those things kill that creature.

“Danny?” Reese said. “What are you doing?”

He didn’t bother to answer. He whipped the door open and rushed outside, ignoring Reese’s panicked shouting behind him.

The creature’s yellow gaze slid across him and it chirped as it ducked past a swinging dagger. Something metallic glinted on the ground, and he looked down to see that a golden crossbow had been tossed onto the street. He ran forward and scooped it up. He’d never used a crossbow before, but somehow, his body knew exactly what to do. He easily nocked the bow back and aimed at the cluster of undead soldiers. A bolt shot from the end of the bow and embedded itself in the neck of an undead soldier. The soldier crumpled to the ground, and a couple of them turned to look at him, their empty black eyes glaring from beneath their helmets.

A soldier ran at him with an enraged yell. He ducked past it and slammed it in the back of the head with his crossbow. Its helmet dented from the force of the blow and it stumbled. He didn’t watch as it fell and instead turned to the rest of the soldiers. The golden creature sat back and watched as Danny planted arrows in two other soldiers, leaving only one left. It shouted in anger and charged Danny. He scampered out of the way, just narrowly avoiding the soldier’s sword. He ducked as it swung its blade over his head. He kicked out at its legs, and it toppled to the ground with a frustrated yell. He shot three arrows into its face, and it fell still.

He stood there, breathing heavily, trying to process what had just happened. How... how did he just do that? Where had he learned to use a crossbow?

Something nudged his back and he whirled around, aiming the crossbow at whatever had touched him. The golden creature skittered back, staring at the weapon with widened eyes. It whined and sat back.

Danny lowered the crossbow. He didn’t know why, but something about this creature seemed familiar. He was extremely relieved that he’d managed to save it, and part of him wanted to drop the crossbow and hug this creature, but he held himself back. It could be dangerous.

It turned and jogged to the sidewalk, where a leather bag sat. It took the strap of the bag in its mouth and trotted back over to Danny. It sat again and stared at him.

He hesitated, but he reached out and took the bag. He flipped it open and saw a gleam of gold inside. He reached in and took out a bundle of golden fabric. He slung the bag over his shoulder and took the fabric in both hands to unfold it. It was a cloak, the shoulders covered in golden chainmail. A black cross was messily painted onto the back, and the clasp was a flattened bullet casing.

The creature in front of him whimpered and nudged his hand with its nose. He couldn’t help but smile and raised a hand to pet it on the head. Something about this odd animal was familiar. The sight of it raised a feeling of joy in him, but he couldn’t place why.

“Danny, what the hell are you doing?”

Danny glanced back at the house. Reese stood in the doorway with Roman in her arms. She and Scarlett stared at Danny and the golden creature with wide, shocked eyes.

Danny looked back down at the cloak in his hands. “Reese, I think I have to go.”

“Go where?” she demanded, a waver of fear in her voice. “What is that thing? What’s going on?”

He swallowed. He didn’t know why, but he had to leave. He had to go help fix whatever was going on in Los Angeles, and this creature could help him.

He draped the cloak across his shoulders and pinned it in place. “I’m really sorry,” he said. He grabbed the crossbow and hooked it on the side of the bag on his shoulder. “I’ll be back. I’m going to go help George.”

“You can’t go out there!” Reese blurted as Danny walked up next to the creature and gently hopped onto its back. “It’s too dangerous!”

He gave her an apologetic look. “I’m sorry. I’ll be back, I promise!”

The creature raised its wings and took off into the sky, carrying Danny away on its back.

* * *

Ice shot across the street as a building started to crumble. The ice crawled up the walls and froze everything in place, just narrowly saving it from collapsing into a chasm. A cloud of shadows darted through the streets, slicing through undead soldiers like they were made of butter. Most of the people who had been on the street had fled by now, and the soldiers had decided to focus on the two that remained: the cloud of shadows, and the man half frosted over in the middle of the street. The ice on his body didn’t seem to hinder his movement at all, since he was swing a sword and a shield around like they weighed nothing. The shadowy silhouette occasionally morphed into the shape of a man as he spun a pair of daggers on chains in his hands. Neither seemed too keen on giving up the fight.

However, that didn’t mean they weren’t getting tired. Dozens of undead soldiers still littered the streets, and with every bolt of ice or swing of his blade, George felt the energy slowly draining from his body. He didn’t think he could keep this up much longer. It was hard to tell if Dylan was okay, since he was almost fully made of shadows, but the few times he managed to materialize a little, George saw the sweat beaded on his brow and the grimace on his face. He had hardly materialized at all in the past minute, reduced to a state of being totally incorporeal, but George didn’t know if that meant Dylan was tired or if his shadow powers were getting stronger. George had a bad feeling it was the former.

He ducked as a soldier swung a blade at his head. He raised his own sword to block the blow and slammed the soldier in the chest with his shield. He caught a glimpse of a car half tilting into a chasm, the passengers screaming, and he grit his teeth as he sent a sheet of ice to freeze it in place. He couldn’t keep this up. He knew the U.S. military would probably be sent there at some point, but what the hell was taking them so long? He really could have used some backup before now.

He raised his shield as a soldier struck at him. He stumbled back as their sword clanged on the metal, and his heel caught on a ledge in the concrete. He toppled backwards and the breath left his chest in a sharp burst as he hit the ground. The soldier raised its blade and stabbed down at him.

He winced, but a chain whipped around the sword before it could plunge into his chest. “You good, Georgie?” Dylan called.

George rolled out from under the soldier’s sword and pushed himself to his feet. He swung his blade, and the soldier cleaved clean in two.

Dylan yanked the blade from the now dead soldier’s hands, but it clattered to the ground when the chain in his hands morphed into shadows. He stumbled when his body dematerialized beneath him. He collapsed to the ground in a shadowy heap. The air was snatched from his lungs as they dissolved with the rest of his body. He tried to force himself into some state of solidity, but the shadows around him churned on the street, refusing to let him gain any sort of form. He tried to breathe, but he wasn’t even sure if he had lungs anymore.

He silently cursed at himself. Couldn’t he stay somewhat corporeal for two god damn seconds?

He focused as hard as he could and managed to force himself into a state that vaguely resembled a human body. He pushed himself to his feet. Most of the soldiers had begun to gather around George, and Dylan frantically tried to run towards him to help, but he completely dissolved again before he could even take a step. He grimaced in frustration. George needed backup! He could die if he didn’t have any help!

A black shape darted from the sky and crashed into an undead soldier. Dylan’s vision was half-obscured by shadows, but he could have sworn that the shape had wings.

Another dark shape shot into the crowd of soldiers with a screech that sounded oddly familiar. He squinted, trying to discern what it was.

The first shape squawked and tromped out of the crowd of soldiers, and Dylan’s heart lifted when he recognized it. The other shape trotted alongside it. He couldn’t help but smile at the two of them, even though they probably couldn’t see him.

His two dragons, Dove and Grenade, proceeded to dart through the army, tearing into soldiers with their teeth and claws. George watched them with what might have been shock or excitement. Maybe a mix of both.

George’s shoulders relaxed as the two dragons defended him from the dozens of soldiers around him. Ice creeped up his legs, and he tried to move, but he couldn’t. He looked down and saw that he was frozen to the ground. That didn’t seem to be good.

A soldier yelled behind him and he twisted around as much as he could. He raised his sword and blocked the soldier’s blade just as it swung down towards him. Metal clanged on metal, and the soldier stumbled back. He couldn’t turn around completely to defend himself. His back was totally exposed.

The soldier shook off its disorientation and grimaced at George. It shouted in rage and charged him again, sword raised above its head. His shield was in his other hand, so he couldn’t twist around to his other side and raise it quick enough, so he settled for trying to parry its blow with his sword again. The soldier jabbed its blade down towards his head.

A deafening roar echoed through the air. The soldier skidded to a stop and covered its ears, dropping its weapon.

George, however, didn’t find the sound grating at all. In fact, he found a sense of happiness rising up in his chest when he heard it. A smile spread across his face as he scanned the sky.

A large blue shape soared over the city, its orange wings spread to either side of it. It opened its maw and loosed another roar. The giant blue beast swooped down and folded in its wings. It dropped down onto the street, the concrete cracking beneath its large paws. Soldiers and people alike scattered to avoid it.

 _Hello George_ , a low rumbling voice said. _Long time no see._

George wobbled on his frozen feet as the ground beneath him shifted. “Mind taking it easy, bud?” he shouted to the humongous creature in front of him. “I’m kinda stuck here!”

Monarch, George’s best friend and companion for over a thousand years, looked down at George and huffed indifferently.

George rolled his eyes. “Come on, don’t be a jerk. Help me out here.”

Monarch heaved a great sigh, as if this small task was too exhausting and tedious for one of the strongest dragons in existence. He lowered his head and opened his mouth. George squeezed his eyes shut and held his breath as a huge stream of hot water washed over him. The ice thawed from his body within seconds and the water cut off. He took a deep breath and shot a quick glare at Monarch.

“Y’know, a _small_ blast of water would have been sufficient,” he grumbled, shaking the water off his shoes.

Monarch chuckled and lowered his head to rest it on the ground in front of George. His throat rumbled in a purr, and George found his mild annoyance melting like the ice at his feet. He smile and ran forward. He crashed into Monarch’s snout and wrapped his arms around him as best he could. “Yeah, okay, I missed you too!”

Monarch purred again. George stepped back and smiled at Monarch. “Good to see you bud,” he said quietly.

He shivered. The steaming water soaking his clothes crackled as it froze. He stepped further away from Monarch, staring down at himself. Ice spread across his body. Maybe getting Monarch to blast him with water when he was in this state wasn’t a good idea.

He whirled around as more undead soldiers converged on them. He hefted his sword, readying himself for more fighting. However, he was already tired out by the amount of fighting he’d already done. Ice crackled up his legs, threatening to freeze him in place again. He had no doubt in his mind that he could completely turn into ice right here on the streets of Los Angeles if he chose to fight himself to death.

 _Are you okay?_ Monarch asked, a pang of concern in his voice.

George swallowed. “I don’t think so.” He stepped back from the soldiers and his leg almost crumpled beneath him. Using these powers was sucking the energy out of him. He didn’t think he’d be able to hold out much longer.

He spotted Dove and Grenade in the crowd of soldiers. He couldn’t see Dylan though. That was concerning, to say the least.

The soldiers all ran forward at once. Monarch planted his feet in a defensive stance and prepared to defend his companion.

Just as a soldier raised its spear to jab George in the heart, a crossbow bolt thudded into its neck. It stopped in its tracks and crumpled to the ground in a heap. Another soldier ran for him, but a gunshot rang through the air and a bullet tore through its head. Two more soldiers rushed towards him, only to be stabbed by a spear that had been thrown from the sidelines.

Monarch’s eyes flickered to the sides. _Looks like we’ve got company._

George followed his gaze. His heart lifted when he saw who had turned up to help.

Danny, Jordon, and Jorel pushed through the crowd of undead soldiers. “Hey George!” Jorel shouted, snatching up his spear and slamming the pommel into a soldier’s helmet. “Hey, do you have any idea what’s going on?” His dragon, Tiger, was curled around his shoulders. She chirped when her bright red eyes landed on George.

George couldn’t hold back a laugh of joy as Danny’s golden dragon, Lion, ran past with Danny on her back. “You—you guys came to help?”

“Yep!” Jordon had one soldier in a headlock, and he shot another with one of his revolvers. He gestured towards Viral, the large grey and white dragon snapping up soldiers on the street. “Quick question, do you have any idea what that thing is? I think it’s friendly, but it could also eat me.” His gaze landed on Monarch. “Oh hey, you have one too.”

Monarch’s throat rumbled. _I don’t think they’re the only ones here._

George furrowed his brow. A roar exploded through the air and he turned his gaze upward. “No fucking way.”

A dragon the size of Monarch soared above the buildings. It swooped down towards the street, its translucent yellow wings shining in the sunlight. Two smaller dragons darted after it.

The large dragon landed in the street. “How do you drive this thing?” Matthew Busek’s voice shouted.

The two smaller dragons skidded to a stop in the street. Even from here, George recognized the crystalline hide of Aron’s dragon, Nine, and the orange wings of one of Matt’s dragons, Claire.

“Yes!” George shouted in glee. “Dylan, are you seeing this?”

He glanced around for Dylan, and his face fell when he didn’t see Dylan anywhere. “Uh, Dyl?”

He winced as ice creeped up his legs, so cold it was painful. He looked down and saw that he was half-frozen to the street. He tried to move his feet, but they were stuck.

He raised his shield as a soldier swung at him, but he could already feel his arms stiffening with ice. Shit, he couldn’t freeze up now! He still had a battle to fight! He couldn’t just let the others fight for him!

However, with all the new fighters in the mix, the amount of undead soldiers was rapidly declining. He lowered his sword as Danny planted a crossbow bolt in a dozen soldiers one after the other. Maybe the others could handle it.

He flinched as ice spread up to his waist. Undead soldiers or not, this was not an ideal situation. He’d been glad for his ice powers when he needed to hold the city together, but now that the ground had stopped shaking, he wished they would go away. He must have used his power too much, and now he might freeze permanently.

The large dragon on the other side of the street stomped on a group of soldiers and puffed her chest out triumphantly. Saint sure seemed glad to be out in the world again, although her rider was no doubt incredibly confused. Matt would surely get the hang of it eventually.

Jordon shot one last soldier and stopped to catch his breath. He and the others glanced around, searching for anything else they had to fight. They didn’t really know why this was all happening, but they did know that they were part of it, and they had to help protect Los Angeles.

However, it seemed they’d done all the protecting they could do at the moment. The streets were clear of armed zombie warriors. A helicopter circled above the street, still filming the disaster in the city. Danny raised a hand and waved at it with a smile. Hopefully Reese and Scarlett would be able to see it and know that he was okay.

And as a matter of fact, the families of all five of them were watching that same broadcast, searching for any sign that their idiot husbands were alive.

Asia had returned to Vanessa’s house to remain with Ava and Chloe, the sword she’d taken from the street still strapped to her belt. A wave of relief washed over her when she saw George, but concern quickly overwhelmed that feeling. He was half encased in ice, and it looked like it was only spreading. Vanessa was just as worried, but mostly for Jorel. She had no idea why he’d just ran from the house like that, but she had to admit, the weird winged snake on his shoulders was pretty adorable. If he came back with it, they would have to adopt that little creature. She was sure their cats would get along great with it.

Reese breathed a sigh of relief when she saw Danny in the street. That strange golden creature was a bit concerning, but Danny seemed to trust it, so Reese wasn’t too worried about it. She was more worried about the fact that he had just been in the middle of a huge disaster and could have died.

Randi muttered a breathless curse under her breath as soon as she saw Jordon. God, the guys was stupid! Thank fuck he was okay. If he didn’t get his ass back home soon, she was going to go out there and drag him back herself.

Anna, however, was not put at ease. She cradled Holly close, frantically searching the screen for any glimpse of Dylan. She saw two black dragon-like creatures and somehow knew they were connected to Dylan, but she couldn’t see him anywhere.

He was just gone.


	8. Breaking Free

George grunted as he tried to dislodged his feet from the ice coating the road. It was no use. He was stuck.

The ground trembled as Saint trotted over to them. Claire and Nine followed in the air, and George spotted Aron on Nine’s back.

Saint stopped in front of Monarch, and Nine swooped down to the ground. Aron yelped and tumbled off his dragon’s back. He scrambled to his feet, his dual swords in his hands. “Holy shit, what the hell is...?” He paused when he caught sight of the others. “Oh. You’re... you’re all here. I mean, I just thought I’d be meeting up with Dylan and Johnny, but, uh...” He furrowed his brow. “Wait, where the fuck is Alvarez?”

Dove and Grenade whined in unison and sat on the ground next to George. George reached out and scratched Dove on the head. “He was just here. I don’t...”

His jacket fluttered as if a gust of wind had blown across him, but there was no wind out today. The small gust moved to Danny, sending his cloak flying up behind him, and he tried to push it back down. George watched as the wind moved to Jordon and Jorel and sent their capes twirling around them, and he noticed that a shadowy mist flew along with the wind. It settled on the ground and creeped up to Aron’s feet. 

George’s eyes widened. “Dylan?”

The cloud of shadows drifted over to George and rested on the ice around him. He leaned down as much as he could and reached out his hand. The shadows crawled up his arm and swirled around his shield.

Jordon blinked. “What the... is that _Dylan?”_ he asked in disbelief.

George swallowed. “I think so.” He sheathed his weapons and cupped his hands together. Dylan the shadowy cloud gathered in his palms. “You okay man?”

The cloud swirled restlessly. That fight must have taken a lot out of him. He couldn’t seem to gain any sort of solid form.

George grunted in pain as his arms began to frost over. “Fuck,” he muttered. He looked up at Danny. “Hey, could you thaw...?”

He stopped. He assumed that the others would have their powers too, but Danny’s eyes remained hazel and un-fiery. No black trees poked up from Jorel’s feet, and Jordon’s skin was devoid of any smoky patches of rock. That brought a little bit of relief, since maybe it meant that _she_ wouldn’t have her powers, either.

However, that didn’t help George’s current situation. Frost caked his body, and he couldn’t feel his legs anymore. He couldn’t move even if he tried.

“I could probably get a flamethrower and get you out of there,” Jordon offered.

“I would not trust you with a flamethrower,” Jorel said.

Matt squeaked as he fell off Saint’s back. “Notion seconded,” he groaned as he sat up. “No one give that maniac access to fire.”

George looked up. They were still being watched by that helicopter, and it sounded like there were more on the way. The military would be showing up at any second. “Great fucking timing,” he mumbled. Where the hell were they when the city was falling apart?

Danny and Lion walked up to George and crouched to examine the ice on the street. “So... just to be clear, this is coming from you, right?”

“Figure that out yourself, Blondie?” Aron mumbled.

Everyone turned to him and glared. He sighed and raised his hands, swords still in his grasp. “Okay, I get it. I’m a dick. I’ll lay off.”

Danny tapped the ice with his finger. “Where’d you get ice powers? And why is Dylan... like that?”

Dylan swirled in George’s hands. “It’s complicated,” George said. “But long story short—”

He didn’t get to finish his sentence. The ice turned to liquid and fell off his body in a wave of water. He hardly had time to register this before Dylan appeared in his arms in a puff of shadowy smoke. Dylan curled in on himself and scrambled out of George’s arms as George collapsed, his numb legs unable to support his weight. Dylan covered his mouth as if holding back bile and sprinted to the nearest chasm. Dove and Grenade squawked and ran after him.

“Oh shit,” Danny muttered. He quickly followed them alongside Lion. He was the designated mom of the group while the others got drunk, which meant he was the one who usually held Dylan’s hair back while he was throwing up. Danny’s mom instincts kicked in as soon as he noticed Dylan’s nausea.

George heaved in great breaths. _Are you alright?_ Monarch’s voice asked.

George nodded. “I... I think so. I don’t know how I got out of that, but...” He struggled to push himself up. “I’m glad I did.” He tried not to listen to the sounds of Dylan vomiting in a chasm. Solidifying so quickly must have taken a toll on his stomach. That, and it had been about one thousand years since he’d last been a shadow. That must not have helped.

Jordon stumbled a little. It felt as if all his previous energy had just drained out of him. Jorel’s shoulders slumped, like he’d suddenly become dead tired in the last second. They didn’t know why they suddenly lost all of their energy, but they hoped George and Dylan might have an explanation for some things.

George furrowed his brow when he noticed this. He pushed himself to his feet with a great deal of effort as Dylan and Danny stumbled back to the group, Dylan’s arm slung over Grenade’s back. “I fuckin’ hate being corporeal,” Dylan grumbled, wiping his mouth.

George patted him on the shoulder. “You good?”

Dylan nodded. He let go of Grenade and leaned on George instead. “I hate having a body. Why the hell did our powers go away, anyway?”

George looked at Danny, Jorel, and Jordon. “I don’t know, but they didn’t have their powers,” he whispered.

Dylan examined the three of them. “They might still have them,” he whispered back. “They’re probably just hidden with their memories. If we could bring those back—”

“And make Danny go into a traumatic flashback?” George said. “Or make Jordon want to jump off a cliff again? I don’t know what it would do to Jorel, but they all have shitty parts of the past that they would hate to remember. You know what Danny’s first reaction his powers was like. Do we want him to remember any of that?”

Dylan hesitated. “You’re right,” he mumbled. “Maybe it’s for the best. They know enough now, they don’t need to know more. I just... I don’t want them to be mad when they find out on their own. It’s gonna take them a while to process their memories, so maybe telling them now...?”

Jordon looked up. “Uh, I think we should get out of here.”

George turned his gaze upward. More helicopters had gathered in the sky. Considering the damage and the fact that they were the only ones present, it was likely that they would be blamed for this.

“I get the feeling we’re about to become national criminals,” Dylan said.

George grinned. “What else is new?” He turned and ran towards Monarch. “On your dragons! We’re getting out of here!”

Dylan smirked. “I’m right behind you!”

Matt and Danny’s eyes widened as George clambered onto Monarch’s back. “Are we seriously running away from the United States military?” Danny asked in total bewilderment.

“Yeah, I don’t think that’s a good idea,” Matt agreed.

“I’m with Kurlzz on this one,” Jorel said. “This really isn’t—”

“What are you guys waiting for?” Jordon asked, already climbing onto Viral’s back. “Come on, this is gonna be fun!”

Saint lowered her head to stare at Matt. He cringed under her gaze. “Uh, I think my dragon wants to eat me.”

Dylan stopped next to Grenade. “Oh, just ride the damn dragon already. We don’t have much time!” He waved Jorel over. “Come on, you ride on Dove. Don’t worry about her blindness, she can fly just fine.”

Jorel blinked. “You want me to fly on a blind dragon.”

Danny took a deep breath. “This is stupid,” he mumbled. He hoisted himself onto Lion.

Aron glanced at Nine. He seemed a little apprehensive. “Does ‘we’ include me? I’m totally fine if it doesn’t, but I was just wondering, like, are you okay with me coming along, or—”

“Get on the dragon, Erlichman!” George ordered, a pang of worry in his voice as he stared up at the helicopters. “We’re not leaving a man behind!”

He flicked Monarch’s reins and he spread his wings. He took off into the air and soared over the building. Some of the helicopters flew after them, but the Guardian and his rider were much too fast for any aircraft to follow.

Jordon sighed. “Well, this is turning out to be an interesting Saturday.” He pointed to the sky. “Come on, weird creature!”

Viral’s throat rumbled in a purr. He took off after Monarch.

Danny shot a concerned glance at Lion. “I guess I’ve got to babysit them.”

Lion grunted in agreement. She launched into the sky.

Jorel hesitated, but he approached Dove. “Are you sure this is safe?” he asked Dylan.

Dylan nodded. “Yep. Go ahead. She can hear where the others are. You’ll be totally fine.”

Tiger nudged Jorel’s face with her snout. He glanced at her, then at Dove. “Alright.” He sat on Dove’s back. “So, what do I—?"

He yelped when Dove suddenly took off with an excited squawk. She zipped after the others, tongue lolling out like she was an excited dog.

Matt held Saint’s reins in both hands, staring at them in confusion. “I guess I’m supposed to drive you, then. So, do you just work like a horse, or...? Actually, don’t answer that, I don’t know how to ride a horse either.” Saint grunted. “What, you think there are a lot of horses in Los Angeles?” Matt said, as if he could hear Saint’s words—which he probably could, considering she was a Great Dragon and he was her rider. “I’ve never gone riding.” He tugged the reins back, and Saint took a step backwards. Matt slackened his grip on the reins. “Oh, okay, so that’s backwards. Um, which way do I pull for ‘up’? Wait, wait, no, I got it.”

Dylan sighed. “That’s gonna take a while,” he grumbled. He turned to Aron. “You ready, Aron?” He stopped and stared at the ground at Aron’s feet. That wasn’t good.

Aron hadn’t seemed to have noticed. He just stared up at the sky, Nine by his side, completely oblivious to the ground cracking at his feet.

Aron glanced at Dylan. “What are you...?” He started to look down.

Dylan lunged forward and grabbed Aron’s wrist. “Wait! Uh...” He looked from Aron’s surprised face to the hand he had wrapped around Aron’s wrist. He let go and stepped back. “Um...” He hopped onto Grenade’s back and held out a hand. “How about we go together? I mean, we don’t have to ride on the same dragon, but if you don’t want to fly alone... I mean, Jorel used to be scared of heights, so I don’t know if you are, but if you are and you do want to fly together—well, I’m used to flying with Jorel—not that he would remember that, or you for that matter...” He just let his voice trail off. He needed to shut up.

Aron blinked at Dylan’s hand. “I... I’m good, thanks.” He turned and hopped onto Nine. Nine looked down at the cracks in the ground that Aron hadn’t noticed. His pink eyes narrowed. He shot a glare at Dylan.

Dylan gulped. He didn’t want to have that dragon on his bad side.

He took a deep breath. “Okay. Let’s go before we get caught up in a military firefight.”

Grenade launched into the air. Nine flew after him.

“Wait!” Matt shouted. He stared down at his reins. “Fuck, how am I supposed to...?”

Saint rolled her eyes and grunted. Matt lifted the reins. “Oh.” He gave them a flick. Saint spread her wings and launched off the ground. “Coulda said that earlier,” Matt grumbled. Claire squeaked in excitement and flew after them.

* * *

She hopped onto land and took a deep breath. It had been ages since she had last been here. She wasn’t quite sure yet if she was glad to be back.

She shucked off her jacket and draped it over her arm. She didn’t need to hide her dragon here. There was no one else around. Well, except for that one dragon rider, but she wasn’t worried about him. He and his dragon weren’t nearly as dangerous as they thought they were.

A deafening screech echoed across the land. So the Emperor knew she was intruding.

Perfect.

The bridge of obsidian black rocks she had created to reach this place crumbled behind her. She didn’t want anyone else to find out where she had gone. The only other person she wanted on her side could get here the same way. Whether he would do so, however, remained to be seen. He might still side with his hero friends. Wouldn’t that be a disappointment? She couldn’t think of a single reason he would have to stay with them.

He certainly wouldn’t want to stay with them once he remembered what they’d done.

She reached back and grabbed the spear off her back in both hands. Her dragon gazed at it, electric sparks flying from his eyes in excitement. She grinned.

She had a Great Dragon to kill.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> y'all better get ready to meet Shady Jeff next chapter because WOW i am excited to introduce him


	9. New Empire

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> i have been working for the past five days and i'm lucky i got today and tomorrow off so i could update this today and also just kinda vibe out tomorrow on my birthday. i'm probably going to update the next chapter on friday instead of saturday this week since i have a 5 hour shift on saturday and might not have the time to update then. anyway i went a little off the rails with the length of this chapter but i hope it you enjoy it!!

“So let me get this straight.”

George and Dylan sat back on the hilltop as the others stared at them in wonder. Their dragons had gathered in the various valleys a fair distance away from Los Angeles, far enough away that none of the destruction or George’s ice had spread in the area. It had been easy to outfly the helicopters and aircrafts hovering over the city. They had settled on the ground the moment they figured they weren’t going to get caught. George and Dylan had immediately sat everyone down and decided to explain a few things... minus some major details that could cause traumatic flashbacks.

Danny leaned forward in his seat in the grass and stared at the two of them, one eyebrow raised in skepticism. “So. We’re all heroes, and we’ve gone on adventures in the past that we miraculously don’t remember, and you two are the only ones who do remember.”

George hesitated. “Well, Jeff might, too.”

“But he used to be an evil dragon rider,” Danny continued, “and you don’t know what he might do if he remembers the past. And— _and—_ for some fuckass reason, the two of you both regained magical powers that you though you got rid of one thousand years ago, and you have no idea why the powers suddenly came back and disappeared again. And you can’t tell us everything, because it might send some of us—meaning me—into a severe mental breakdown, because I used to have some form of PTSD in this past life that I don’t remember, and also Jordon might throw himself off a cliff.”

“And Jorel might cry,” Dylan added. “Maybe.”

Danny sighed. “So you won’t tell us everything, even though you already told us how we became heroes when you told us about that really long series of dreams you had a couple months ago, but whatever happened in the few months after that whole adventure is too dangerous for us to know about, and it might have something to do with some lady you won’t name because apparently one of us knows her very well and you don’t want him to freak the fuck out. Also, one of us has incredibly destructive powers that we’re unaware of, but you won’t tell us which one of us it is because you don’t want that one person to remember everything and then accidentally join this possibly evil lady in her quest to do whatever it is she’s doing.” He took a deep breath. “ _And_ , that big ass white dragon from our past is called the Emperor and it’s one of the most powerful dragons in the entire world, and Shady Jeff is its rider.” He gestured to Monarch and Saint’s towering forms. “And those are the two _other_ most powerful dragons ever, and all three of them together could probably destroy the world, but that’s not the point apparently, because some evil lady is going to do that before the three of these dragons get the chance, except they wouldn’t do that because we’re just supposed to trust that two out of the three strongest beings ever just aren’t bad.” He paused. “Did I get it all?”

George and Dylan exchanged a glance. “Yeah, pretty much,” Dylan said.

“Great.” Danny stood. “Now can I go home?”

“What?” George shot to his feet. “Dude, you can’t go home now. Did you even see Los Angeles?”

“I have to be there for my family!” Danny exploded. George and Dylan stepped back in surprise. “Not that you would know anything about that. You _left_ yours so you could go fight some zombie army. Who _does_ that? I’m a dad first and a human being second, and I am not letting my wife deal with our terrified children alone.”

“To be fair, Asia did the same thing to get me my sword,” George said, “and half her personality revolves around being a mom.”

“That’s not the point,” Danny snapped. “The point is, our families are back in the city, and we should be there for them.”

Jordon tugged on the hem of his cloak. “I mean... Dan’s got a point. We’ve all got families we’ve gotta get back to.”

Matt cleared his throat, looking pointedly at Jordon. Jordon shrugged. “Okay, so most of us do. Others have half-finished music careers that haven’t even gotten off the ground yet. The point is, we can’t just abandon our lives to go off on some magical adventure that we didn’t even sign up for. You may have told us some of the shit that happened a thousand years ago—if we even want to believe that happened—but that doesn’t mean that we actually remember doing any of that.”

Jorel sighed. “You telling us that all that shit was real... It feels kind of like you just handed me a cat, told me it was Tiger—my cat Tiger, not this dragon thing—except the cat doesn’t even look like mine and I don’t feel any emotional connection to it at all. I want to love this cat, and I want to accept these memories, but I can’t. They’re not mine.” He gently took Tiger the dragon off his shoulders and set her on the ground. “This isn’t my cat. These aren’t my memories. And I do love her, I just don’t know why or what she is.” He furrowed his brow. “I still wanna keep her though. You think she’d get along well with Tiger? I mean, my cat Tiger. This is gonna get confusing.” He picked up Tiger and held her in front of him. “Should I call you Tiger #2? Tiger Junior?”

“Technically, she had the name first,” Dylan pointed out.

“Then you’re Tiger Senior,” Jorel stated. He set Tiger in his lap and pet her on the head. “I just don’t know what to do.”

“I know what I’m doing,” Danny said, crossing his arms. “Going the fuck home so I can be with my family.”

George’s shoulders slumped. “Dude, come on—”

“No,” Danny interrupted. “I’m going to go home. I’m not letting them be alone in the middle of this fucking disaster.”

Jordon shrugged. “Yeah, I think I’m with Danny on this. I mean, don’t get me wrong, this whole dragon thing is cool as hell, and I want to be a super cool hero and help save the world, but...” He glanced behind him at Viral, who was rolling around in a valley as Monarch watched on in disdain. “I don’t think Randi would want a pet dragon. He won’t fit in the house anyway.”

George and Dylan shared a concerned glance. “Matt?” Dylan asked. “You with us?”

Matt’s shoulders tensed. He looked at Saint and Claire, who were curled up in a valley together, grunting and purring back and forth in conversation. “I... I think I want to go back. This is nuts. We ran from the military, I can talk to a fucking dragon, and I still feel like she might eat me. Besides, I may not have a famous band or a big family, but I have friends. I have a dog. I don’t want to leave them in this disaster.”

George and Dylan studied the others’ faces. All of them stared back with a mix of fear, anger, and confusion. Well, most of the anger came from Danny, which was odd for him. He was usually the most chill one out of the bunch. However, they couldn’t blame him. They were asking him to throw away almost his entire life to go on a big adventure. The guy was a family man. He wouldn’t leave his wife and children if he could help it.

George sighed and turned to Dylan. “Guess it’s just me and—”

“I’ll help.”

Everyone turned to look at Aron. He and Nine had stood there in silence the whole time, but now Aron was staring at them with a determined look in his eye. His jaw was set, and Nine sat next to him with his head held high.

Dylan’s eyes widened in disbelief. “Seriously?”

Aron shrugged. “I ain’t got anything to lose. L.A. is fucked if we don’t do something.”

A tiny bit of relief made its way into George. “Thanks. Three is better than two, at least.”

Aron glanced at Danny. “Hey, uh, Blondie? I’m sorry to point out the obvious, but... you do know that if we don’t save the world, your family might die, right? There’s no point going back to L.A. if it’s just going to be destroyed anyway.”

Danny blinked, taken aback by Aron’s blatant statement. His face screwed into a scowl. “Well, I wouldn’t expect you to understand my situation, considering the closest family you have is your sister and she abandoned you the second your music career flopped.”

Aron narrowed his eyes. “What do _you_ know about my sister? Arina didn’t abandon me. She just... she couldn’t stick with me when I was in prison.” The hard edge faded from his voice. “That’s all. She had to do her own thing.”

“Let’s not bring Aron’s sister into this,” Dylan blurted. “Look, we don’t need to fight here. Danny, I totally get where you’re coming from. I would do anything to go back to Anna and Holly right now. But Aron has a point. Los Angeles could be destroyed if we don’t do something about it. This lady is dangerous and terrifying and she’s capable of a lot of destruction. And I mean worldwide destruction. Like, imagine a hundred great earthquakes all over the world. She could do something like that.”

Jorel stood up, Tiger cradled in his arms. He sighed. “Sorry, Danno, but I think I’m with Aron on this.”

Matt rolled his eyes. “Of course you are. You’re still soft on him. This is gonna be Desperate Measures all over again, isn’t it? Aron’s a dick. Just because he has nothing to live for doesn’t mean the rest of us have nothing to lose.”

Aron stepped back, a slightly hurt expression on his face. “Nothing to live for? Are you saying my life is worthless?”

“Yes,” Matt said immediately.

“Kurlzz, lay off,” Jorel snapped. “Look, if we want to help save the world, that’s our decision. You do whatever you want, but I’m sticking with Aron.”

Danny raised an eyebrow. “So _now_ you’re choosing him over me? Glad you didn’t have that same attitude in 2010.”

“This is a totally different situation!” Aron argued.

As the four of them bickered back and forth, Dylan and George stepped back. This was new. They’d never seen their group so torn on something before. It was strange to see Danny and Jorel on opposing sides of an argument.

Jordon sidled up next to George and leaned in to whisper. “So, I think I changed my mind and I’m going to go along with this whole hero thing, but don’t tell Danny or Matt yet because I don’t want them to get mad at me.”

“Noted,” Dylan muttered. He flicked a dagger into his hand and twirled it on its chain. “What do we do?” he mumbled to George.

George swallowed. He scanned the situation. Usually, Danny was the one who diffused fights, but since he was involved in this one, they had to do it themselves.

George took deep breath. “EVERYBODY SHUT UP!”

The other four jumped at the sound of his voice, and the dragons in the valleys around their hill looked up with wide eyes.

George sighed. “Look, you’re welcome to help if you want to, but if you don’t, we understand. Either way, if you’re helping, we’re gonna have to go.”

Jorel and Aron exchanged a slightly worried glance. “Go where?”

Dylan slipped his dagger back into his sleeve. “The Emperor’s Keep.”

“Why there?” Jordon asked.

“Because that’s where this lady is going,” Dylan said, “if she’s not already there. Plus, Jeff has been off the grid, and we’re pretty sure that’s where he’s at. We have to find him and get him on our side.”

Aron snorted. “Wait, Shady Jeff?” He shook his head. “Nope, never mind, I’m out. If we’re teaming up with him, I ain’t having it.”

Jorel gave Aron a pleading look. “Come on, man. They need help. Los Angeles needs us.”

Aron shot a glare at Jorel, but his gaze softened immediately. “God dammit, Jay, stop with those eyes.”

Jorel stared at Aron with his wide puppy dog eyes. “Come on. Please?”

Aron cursed under his breath. “Fuck you. Fine. I’ll deal with Shady.”

Danny sighed. “Okay, so theoretically, if I were to agree to become a hero and save the world... where would the Emperor’s Keep be?”

Lion purred and nudged Danny’s shoulder. Danny scratched her on the head. “I wasn’t agreeing,” he mumbled. “But if it makes you feel better, then sure. We’ll pretend I did.”

George tapped his foot. “I think the Keep only recently emerged. It disappeared a long time ago, along with the rest of the realm of Angeles, but since the undead soldiers and our dragons only showed up now, part of it must have come back somehow.”

“It was a fairly small island,” Dylan said, “but it shouldn’t be hard to find. I mean, all we’ve got to do is search the entire ocean to see if any new mysterious islands have popped up out of nowhere. Piece of cake.”

“It’ll probably be near Los Angeles,” George added when he saw the dejected looks on the others’ faces. “If she was able to cause this kind of destruction in the city, she can’t be too far.” He scratched the back of his neck. “If it would be anywhere, I think it might be out west. It was originally about a couple hours of flight to the Keep, so let’s hope it’s not much farther than that.”

Danny and Matt exchanged a glance. “I get the feeling we’re the only ones who aren’t on board with this,” Matt whispered.

Danny nodded. “Unfortunately.” He sighed. “Well, someone’s gonna need to keep these dumbasses safe. Might as well be me.” He looked at George. “I’ll be your babysitter.”

George and Dylan both smiled, and Matt scanned the group, a skeptical look on his face. He heaved a great, laborious sigh. “What the hell. I’m in too.” He glared at Aron. “But you better not be an asshole the whole time, got it?”

Aron crossed his arms. “Only if you do the same.”

Dylan stepped between them before another argument could break out. “Great. We’re all on the same page.” He clapped his hands together, a smile on his face. “Let’s go pack our shit.”

* * *

Aron doodled in the sand with his finger as the tide lapped against the shore. Matt sat next to him, but a fair distance away, so they wouldn’t have to be in each other’s direct vicinity. The seven of them had all returned to Los Angeles, although they made a wide berth around the city so as not to be spotted by the military. The dragons had dropped off their passengers and then flown out far over the sea so no one could see them from the city, although Jorel insisted on keeping Tiger with him. The five of them who had families all decided to stop by their houses to say goodbye to their loved ones and gather some supplies. Matt and Aron had stopped by their apartments to gather their own things, and now they were stuck waiting at the shore. They didn’t know why George had directed them to this specific beach, but the reason soon became evident. No military soldiers were on this beach, and most of the ones Matt and Aron saw just passed right by without a second glance.

Matt sighed as he scrolled through his phone. He hadn’t said a word to Aron since they landed back in the city.

Aron furrowed his brow. “You might wanna preserve your power on that thing. We don’t know how long we’ll be gone.”

Matt glowered at him. “I brought three power banks.”

Aron scooted away. “Okay then.” He thought maybe when they were running for their lives, their old hatred might have diffused a little, but now that they weren’t in immediate danger, Matt seemed to have remembered that Aron used to be an asshole.

Aron heard footsteps on the sand behind them and twisted around in his seat. Jorel jogged up to him and Matt, a backpack on his shoulders and a smile on his face like an excited first-grader on the first day of school. His dragon was curled around his torso under his cloak. He stopped in front of the two of them, still beaming.

“This is gonna be so fucking cool,” he said. He gently took his dragon and held her in his arms. “Van loved Tiger Senior. She said we’re definitely keeping her.” His dragon chirped in agreement.

Aron couldn’t help but smile a little. It had been so long since he’d seen J-Dog this happy—or since he’d seen J-Dog in general. It was good to be around him again.

Matt, however, was still surly. He didn’t even look up from his phone as Jorel practically skipped over to them and sat in the sand next to Aron. Tiger wriggled out of his arms and scampered around the sand with an excited squeak.

Danny and Jordon jogged up to the trio, their leather satchels on their shoulders. Jordon’s wide grin made him look almost as excited as Jorel, but the glare in Danny’s eyes was fiery and a little intimidating. Aron thought George was the scariest person he’d ever met, but he’d never seen Danny mad before.

Aron gave them a lighthearted smile. “So, you all set?”

Jordon and Danny both paused in front of the group. Jordon’s smile wavered as his gaze rested on Aron. Jordon let his smile fall and briefly narrowed his eyes at Aron before he turned and walked further down the beach.

Danny kept his eyes on Aron as Jordon sat down in the sand in front of the waves. Even though Aron looked away, he could feel Danny’s gaze burning into his back.

He heard a sigh followed by footsteps. Danny sat in the sand next to Aron, between him and Matt. “Okay,” Danny said. “It’s been years since we last spoke, and considering I took your place as lead singer, I kinda figured this would be awkward. But I didn’t think it would escalate the way it did. My point is, we got off on the wrong foot. So...” He twisted in his seat to look at Aron, a friendly smile on his face. “It’s good to see you again,” Danny said.

Aron studied Danny’s face for a moment, trying to see if he meant it. His eyes radiated sincerity, which put Aron at ease. “It’s good to see you too,” Aron said finally. “And the whole singing thing, I’m kinda over it anyway. You’re a good match for the band. I don’t think I can hit half the notes you can.”

Danny gave a small laugh and turned to face the water. “Thanks. But hey, at least you can rap. I couldn’t do that if I tried.”

“I hate to break up this heartwarming moment.”

They both jumped and looked behind them. George stood behind them, a blue cloak fluttering on his back and a black one draped over his arm.

“But we have to go,” George finished.

“Where’s Dyl?” Jorel asked.

George furrowed his brow and scanned the beach. “He’s not here yet?”

“Bet he’s still with Anna,” Danny said. “Should we call him?”

George pulled his phone out of his pocket. “I’ll do it.”

“Wait.” Jordon stood up. “Here he comes.”

Everyone stood and turned to face the street that led to the beach. Dylan was walking towards them, but he wasn’t alone.

George sighed. “They can’t come with us.”

“I know,” Dylan said dejectedly, holding Anna’s hand tighter, his other arm cradling Holly in his arms. “Anna just wanted to see me off.”

“How much did you tell her?” George asked.

Dylan grimaced. “Uh... everything?”

George slowly lowered his head into his hands. “Are you fucking serious?” he muttered.

“I’m sorry!” Dylan said. “I just—look, I’ve been hiding things from her for so long. I can’t keep doing that.” He turned to Anna with a slight sadness in his eyes. “I don’t to keep her in the dark. If I don’t come back, I don’t want her to wonder why.”

“You better come back,” Anna said immediately. She gestured with her free hand to her pregnant belly. “This kid is not gonna be able to grow up without their dumbass father.”

Dylan’s lips twitched into a smile. “I love you.”

Anna let go of Dylan’s hand and took his face in her hands. “I love you too,” she said softly. She brought their lips together in a kiss, and Matt pretended to gag at the sight. George elbowed him in the side.

Anna finally let go of his face and took Holly from his arms. She stepped back. “You better come back,” she said again.

“I will,” Dylan said. “I promise.” He shouldered his bag and walked over to the rest of the group. “Guess I’m ready,” he said.

George held out the black cloak. Dylan took it in both hands and clasped it around his shoulders. They all turned to the surf. George raised two fingers to his mouth and whistled.

The ground trembled. The waves grew, and Jorel clutched Aron’s arm to stay upright. Monarch’s monstrous form rose from the water, his giant orange wings stretching out to either side of him. He stepped forward and lowered his head, inviting the heroes to climb on.

George hopped onto Monarch, Dylan close behind. The others all exchanged a wary glance, but they hoisted themselves onto the huge dragon.

Viral, Saint, and the five smaller dragons all soared down from the clouds as Monarch lifted his head. Viral landed in the water and craned his neck to lift his head to Monarch’s back. He squawked at Jordon.

Dylan nudged him. “Get on your dragon, man.”

Jordon hesitated, but he backed up to get a running start. He launched off Monarch’s back and landed on Viral’s with a grunt.

Saint purred and lowered her head to stare at Matt. He backed away. “I still think she’s gonna eat me,” he muttered.

“She’s not going to eat you,” George assured him. “Just get on your dragon.”

Matt looked uncertain, but he hopped onto Saint’s back. He wobbled in the landing and grabbed the reins to regain his balance. Claire settled behind him with a content purr.

George picked up his own reins. “You guys can ride your own dragons, or you can hitch a ride with us. Your call.”

Danny stared at Lion as she set down on Monarch’s back. She nudged his shoulder, and he sighed and hopped onto her back. She chirped happily and took off into the sky, earning a yelp from Danny. Aron sat on Nine’s back and soared after Lion without hesitation.

Dylan walked up behind George and clapped him on the shoulder, Dove and Grenade behind him. “We’re sticking with you,” he said.

Jorel scratched Tiger on the head. “Same.”

Dylan peered over the side of Monarch’s back to look at Anna. She gazed up at the dragons with wonder, but she managed to shake herself out of her shocked stupor to wave at him. His heart hurt a little, having to leave her, but he smiled and waved back.

George grinned. “Here we go.”

He flicked the reins, and Monarch launched into the sky.

* * *

It didn’t take nearly as long as they thought it would to reach the island.

They’d been flying out west for about fifteen minutes. Jordon shouted with excitement as Viral darted around the sky, making loops in the air and spinning happily. It had been a thousand years since he had last stretched his wings. It must have felt good to be in the air again.

Saint, however, was much more composed than Viral, partially because she was dealing with an inexperienced rider. She jolted to a stop and jerked her head a couple times when Matt accidentally tugged on the reins the wrong way, but he seemed to get the hang of it after a few minutes. Now they were peacefully soaring through the sky alongside Monarch.

Danny and Aron had decided to fly higher than the others, and George was glad to see that the two of them had gotten over their previous spat. They didn’t seem to be talking at all, but at least they weren’t arguing.

Soon enough, George heard Danny shouting. “Hey, George? Is that the island we’re looking for?”

George craned his neck. He guided Monarch to fly a bit higher and spotted land stretching to either side on the horizon in front of them. Mountains and cliffs stuck out of the ground at unnatural angles. A pit of dread settled in his stomach. He wasn’t glad to be back.

Dylan squeezed George’s shoulder. “We’re gonna be fine. We just gotta find Shade and Jeff first. Then we’ll find her.”

George nodded. “We’re going down,” he yelled to the others.

The rest of the dragons fell in behind Monarch as they slowly began to descend. They slowed their pace as they soared over the land. George remembered where the Emperor’s Keep was, and luckily, it wasn’t hard to find.

Huge, pointed, black rocks stuck out of the ground in a circle, the rocks angled inward to narrow the opening into the Keep. Monarch and Saint would only just be able to fit through if they folded their wings and dropped down into it. The sight of it increased George’s sense of dread, but he tried to push it down as they lowered towards the rocks.

“Are we going in there?” Matt asked, his voice quavering with concern.

“Yep.” George tightened his grip on his reins. “Get ready for a fight.”

“A fight?” Matt squeaked.

George didn’t respond. He guided Monarch through the opening in the rocks. They both glanced around, their bright blue eyes scanning the ground for any sign of life. Monarch’s paws settled on the ground, and he stepped out of the way so Saint and Viral could fly through. Danny and Aron followed on their own dragons.

George slid off Monarch’s back and drew his sword. Dylan was right behind him, drawing his daggers from the sheaths on his belt as soon as his feet touched the ground.

“Draw your weapons,” George ordered, still looking about in the shadows around the circle of rocks they were in. “Be on your guard.”

Matt and Danny exchanged a fearful glance, but Matt drew his bow and nocked an arrow. Danny did the same with his crossbow. Jordon drew his revolvers and pulled back the hammers.

Aron drew his dual swords. He and Jorel automatically drifted closer until they were back to back, Jorel’s spear clutched tightly in his fists. “Why are we here?” Jorel whispered.

Dylan gazed warily at the towering black rocks around them. “Just meeting an old friend,” he mumbled.

They all stood still, weapons in their hands, listening and waiting.

“Maybe they aren’t here,” Dylan whispered.

A screech echoed through the air and they all looked upward. A large white shape hovered above them. Its throat glowed as it opened its mouth.

George cursed under his breath, but he didn’t have much time to say anything else. A white bolt of ice crashed into the ground in the centre of the Keep and exploded into freezing white mist. All seven heroes stumbled back, shivering, as something plummeted to the ground off the white creature’s back.

George clenched his sword tighter and glared through the mist. “Flash freezing isn’t fair!” he shouted.

“So says you!” a new voice shot back. A silhouette darted past him through the mist, and he hissed as a blade sliced across his arm.

Dylan spun his daggers on his chains and stepped in front of Jordon to protect him. “Stop playing around!” he yelled.

A mischievous laugh resonated off the walls of black rocks. “I haven’t even started!”

A series of metallic clinking echoed through the mist, and Dylan’s shoulders slumped when three metal orbs rolling across the ground.

“Are you fucking _kidding_ me?” he yelled just as the orbs exploded in a flash of white.

Danny squeezed his eyes shut through the small explosion and opened them again to see that his feet were frozen to the ground. He tugged on them, but he couldn’t get free.

“Ice grenades?” Dylan’s voice said. “When the hell did you learn how to make ice grenades?”

Matt scanned the mist for this new person. He caught a glimpse of a shadow and aimed his bow at it. He released the arrow.

“Ow!” the new voice yelped. "Rude!"

“Nice shot, Matty!” George said. He hefted his sword and shield. He had managed to avoid the ice grenades, but he still had no idea where this fucker was. He raised his shield, hoping that might protect him from whatever the hell this maniac was going to do next.

The shadow lunged at him from the side and he whirled around just in time to catch their blade on his own. Metal clanged from the blow. George pushed back against them, and he caught a brief glimpse of the person. Black hair, goggles, and a cloth over their lower face were all that was visible through the thick snowy mist.

The person ducked and kicked at George’s legs. He yelped as he toppled to the ground, and he raised his sword just before a dagger swiped down at him. He blocked the weapon, and he expected them to swipe again, but instead he heard footsteps running away.

“Shit!” Dylan yelled. More metallic clanging resonated through the air. George spotted Monarch and Saint’s eyes frantically looking through the mist. They couldn’t help if they couldn’t see.

Dylan raised one of his daggers and parried a blow from the man’s weapon. He grimaced and whirled his other dagger on its chain, ready to strike as soon as this motherfucker would stay still.

Something wrapped around Dylan’s ankle, and before he knew it, he was swept off his feet. He crashed to the ground and just managed to avoid hitting his head on the stone beneath them. He rolled onto his back, and as soon as he jabbed his knives towards the silhouette standing over him, they were caught and twisted from his grasp. He flicked the chains and whipped them back to his hands, but a dagger levelled itself over his neck and he stopped. He gulped, the metal point just touching his Adam’s apple.

The mist finally began to clear. He glanced to the sides and saw Danny, Matt, and Jordon, all frozen to the ground. Aron and Jorel were stuck too, and Jorel was trying to chip the ice away with his spear.

George pushed himself to his feet and glared at the man standing over Dylan. “Was that really necessary?” he growled.

The man stared at Dylan through his goggles for a moment. Finally, he lifted the dagger from Dylan’s neck and backed away. Dylan sat up with a hand on his neck, glowering at the masked man.

The man tossed his dagger in the air and caught it in one gloved hand. “Yes, it was,” he said, tossing and catching his dagger again. “I had to be sure you weren’t dangerous intruders, y’know?” Toss, catch. “Considering what happened last time we were all together, I wouldn’t put it past you to attack me.” Toss, catch.

George rolled his eyes. “Oh, give it up—”

“Shush!” the man interrupted. He caught his dagger again and turned to Aron and Jorel. “Why are _you_ here?” he snapped, pointing the knife at Aron.

Aron shrugged. “I dunno, man, I just came along for fun. Who the hell are you, anyway?”

The man scoffed. “Seriously? You don’t know me? How could you forget that you—”

Dylan cleared his throat loudly. Everyone turned to him. “He doesn’t remember,” Dylan said to the man, an irritated scowl on his face.

The man raised an eyebrow. “You’re serious?” He turned back to Aron and walked up to him. The man leaned in close to Aron’s face and studied him intently through his goggles.

Aron glanced from side to side and then back at the man, who was still gazing at him. “Uh... can I help you?”

“Hmm.” The man raised a hand and tapped Aron on the forehead, his long coat sweeping the top of his brown boots. “Yep. He’s definitely got that blank look in his eyes. Well, a bit more blank than usual, at least.” He raised his goggles and lowered the bandanna over his mouth. “Recognize me now?” Jeffrey Phillips asked.

Aron’s face immediately twisted into a scowl. “Unfortunately.”

Jeffrey rested his elbow on Aron’s shoulder, and Aron couldn’t move away since he was frozen to the ground. Jeff smiled, but a malice gleamed in his eyes. “You know, Aron,” he said in an overly cheerful tone. “Buddy. Pal. My dude. My _homie_. Listen. If I had it my way, I would drive my dagger into your neck and decapitate you right here and now.”

Aron’s eyes widened. “Okay, I knew you hated me, but that’s a little overkill.”

Jeff barked out a laugh. “Oh, you have no idea how much I loathe you!” he said, his voice still dripping with false happiness. “You see, a couple months ago, I remembered everything— _everything_ —you did! And let’s just say: I’m not too fucking happy about it!”

George slung his shield over his back, but he kept his sword in hand. “Jeff, be civil. We need him.”

Jeff turned his stale smile to George. “If you desperately needed seven heroes, I was right the fuck here. Yeah, I get it, I’m not perfect. I tried to conquer the world. Whatever. But I would be a hundred times better than this fucker. You know what he did, and—”

“You weren’t much better,” Dylan reminded him. “Do you recall the time you kidnapped Grenade and made me think he was dead and put me through days of grief?” Grenade squawked in bitter agreement.

Jeffery waved a gloved hand dismissively. “Water under the bridge.” He looked up. “Hey, tell your dragons to make some room. Here comes my boy.”

A huge, armless, white dragon with quills trailing down its back swooped through the black rocks and landed next to Monarch. Monarch growled, but the white dragon growled back. Saint nudged Monarch and he took a step back. Respecting the territory of another Great Dragon seemed to be something still ingrained in their heads.

Jeff made finger guns at the dragon. “Hey, Shade. That was some nice shooting back there.”

Shade raised his head proudly. Monarch rolled his eyes, but Saint gave a soft growl and he lowered his head.

Jeff laughed again and looked at Aron. “Well, anyway! Since I have to work with you, now, I guess I’m going to have to refrain from killing you. However! When you regain your memories and inevitably turn on us, I want you to remember this one _teeny, tiny_ , little thing that I’m about to tell you.”

He grabbed Aron by the collar and broke him out of the ice, throwing him into the black rock wall with hardly any effort. Aron winced as his back hit the stone. Jeff stormed over and lifted him off the ground, slamming him against the rocks as his smile morphed into a scowl of barely restrained anger. Jeff glared into Aron’s eyes, and Aron gulped in fear.

“However bad you think you are,” Jeff hissed, “I’m. _Worse._ If you do anything to me, my dragon, _or_ my Keep, I will gut you like a fish, hang your entrails over the island as Christmas decorations, and feed your bloody corpse to the Emperor. _Do I make myself clear?”_

Aron blinked, his eyes wide. “Crystal.”

Jeff glared at Aron, and for a few tense moments, George was unsure of whether or not he would actually kill Aron right then and there.

Jeff released Aron and let him fall to the ground. Jeff smiled once again and leaned against the black wall, twirled his dagger in his hand. “Well, it’s so good to see everyone again! Now who’s up for a dragon road trip?”


	10. Time Bomb

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> i'm updating today since i have work tomorrow and might not have time. my work schedule has been fucking things over a little, so next week's updates are going to be on Monday and Thursday instead of Tuesday and Saturday.

She walked along the path that led to her old prison. Mountains and cliffs jutted out of the ground around her at unnatural angles, as if the land had warped itself into a shape that it wasn’t meant to take. Her dragon rested on her shoulders as she walked, electricity sparking off its scales and jumping to her skin. She couldn’t wait until she got her hands on some proper armor.

Which meant she’d have to first deal with that Emperor and his upstart rider. Lovely.

A scowl appeared on her face. This would be a difficult fight. It was a Great Dragon, after all. She could only hope that her right hand man came to his senses soon. She could certainly use some help.

Her dragon chirped and nudged her face. She couldn’t help but smile a little as she scratched it behind the horns. She’d be lost without her dragon.

Black rocks poked out of the ground in her wake. She clutched her spear in both hands. She was ready for a battle.

And she had no doubt she would win.

* * *

George slapped a Band-Aid over the cut Jeff made in his arm. “You really need to chill out,” he grumbled.

Jeff shrugged as he used a welding torch to melt the ice at Danny’s feet. “Yeah, well, you can’t get much more chill than ice.” He glanced up at Danny. “Let me know if I end up burning you. I know how you feel about fire.”

“That’s not what I meant,” George said, watching as Dylan tried to chip Jordon out of the ice with his daggers. “None of this was necessary.”

Jeff briefly shut off his welding torch and lifted his goggles. “Yes, it was. I didn’t know if she was going to drop in. My Keep is literally over her old prison, and I’m not giving it up just because she wants her place back. Besides, she’s going to want to kill me the second she sees me. I have to be prepared.” He lowered his goggles and continued burning away at the ice at Danny’s feet.

Matt managed to yank his feet out of the ice. He shook ice shards off his shoes as he slung his bow over his shoulder. “Would you guys just tell us who this lady is already?” he asked.

“You won’t believe us if we tell you,” Dylan muttered.

“Maybe we will,” Danny offered, glancing warily at the welding torch in Jeff’s hands. “I kinda want to know what we’re going up against. Uh, I think I’m good on the blowtorch, man. I can get the rest.”

“Aight.” Jeff stood, hefting his blowtorch. “Anyone else need help?”

“I’ll take my chances,” Jordon said.

“You guys are no fun,” Jeff scoffed.

“They just don’t want to get burned to death,” George said.

“Come on, what’s a little burning? There’s no point being a hero if I don’t get to set one of you on fire. Specifically him.” Jeff pointed to Aron, who was trying to help chip the ice off Jorel.

Dylan pried one large piece of ice off Jordon, allowing him to tug his legs out the rest of the way. “No one is setting anyone else on fire,” Dylan said. “Unless Danny is the one setting the fire and an undead soldier is the one being set on fire.”

Jorel finally managed to break through the ice with Aron’s help. Danny wasn’t too far behind. “I have a question,” Danny said. “Was Shady Jeff always this—how do I put this lightly—murderous?”

“I prefer the term ‘eccentric’,” Jeff said with a smile.

“Not that I can remember,” Jorel said.

Dylan swiped the ice shards off his blades. “It’s because he remembered everything from our past lives,” he explained. “When you remember that, you feel almost like a different person. Jeff isn’t the same guy who managed our shitty MySpace band, but he’s not the fresh-out-of-a-jailhouse-and-ready-to-kill-everyone dragon rider we knew back then. More like a mix of both.”

Jeff shrugged, turning his welding torch off and on again to watch the blue flame flicker. “Yeah. I’ve had the past two months to figure out what parts of each life I want to keep.”

“And you’ve clearly embraced the murderous part,” George pointed out.

Jeff pointed his torch at Aron, who took a step back in fear. “Only for him. You guys are fine. I wouldn’t hurt Danny if my life depended on it. He’s an angel! I can see why you guys chose him over Erlichman.”

Danny hunched his shoulders, a little embarrassed at the praise. “Uh, thanks, I guess. Aron’s not so bad though.”

Jeff rolled his eyes. “Of course you would have something nice to say about this asshole. You’re _you_.”

Danny blinked. “Uh, I’m sorry, but we haven’t even met before now. How do you...?”

“I think you knew each other from the past,” Jorel said. “I mean, that’s what I’m assuming, at least.”

Jeff grinned at Jorel. “You’re catching on, Decker.” He turned to George. “So! If we’re going up against this bitch again, we’re gonna need to be prepared. You guys want to see my workshop?” Before anyone could answer, he ran towards the centre of the Keep, blowtorch in hand.

Jeff skidded to a stop in front of Shade, who lowered his head to watch as his companion knelt to the ground. Jeff rummaged in his pocket and brought out a key. He shoved it in the ground, and cyan blue lines lit up in the stone. They danced in a pattern, forming the outline of a trapdoor. Jeff stood and backed up as the door swung downward.

He gestured to the hole in the ground with a bow. “After you,” he said to George.

George exchanged a worried glance with Dylan. The last time they went in there, things didn’t exactly go well.

However, George started toward the door, his hand on the pommel of his sword. Dylan wrapped an arm around Jordon’s shoulders. “Come on, homie.”

Jordon gazed in wonder at the glowing lines on the floor. “Whoa. This is cool.”

“No shit,” Danny whispered. He and Matt followed after Dylan and Jordon, both drawing their bows just in case.

Jorel nudged Aron. “Come on.”

Aron hesitated, glancing from Jeff to the trapdoor. “I don’t know, man. I get a bad feeling about this.”

Jeff popped up behind Aron, who shrieked in surprise at the unexpected hand on his shoulder. “A bad feeling, huh?” Jeff said. “Like, a feeling that you want to kill someone, or a feeling that you’ve been here before, or...?”

“Jeff, lay off,” George snapped.

Jeff rolled his eyes. “I’m just being precautious.” He tightened his grip on Aron’s shoulder. “Whatever you do,” he whispered menacingly, “do not touch _anything_ in my workshop. And that includes her armor. Got it?”

Aron nodded. Jeff let him go and strolled past Dylan and Jordon, a smile on his face. He hopped onto the staircase through the hole. “We’ll be back, Shade!” he called. Shade grunted in response.

Dylan grinned and pulled Jordon after him. He hadn’t been in that cave for a thousand years, and while the last time he was in there hadn’t gone well, he was a bit eager to see what Jeff had done with the place. If he had anything else like those ice grenades, Dylan wanted to see it. Jordon walked faster so he matched Dylan’s pace, both of them excited to see the things Jeff had gotten up to over the past couple months.

Aron hesitated, but Jorel slung an arm around him and they stepped onto the stairs together. Danny and Matt followed, arrows nocked in both of their bows.

George sighed in exasperation. He couldn’t believe Jeff decided to use her prison as his workshop, but it’s not like George could convince the maniac to move his stuff out. This was his Keep, and he was going to do whatever the hell he wanted with it. 

He looked up at Monarch. “Babysit the other dragons while I’m gone.”

Monarch sat up and nodded. _Gladly._

George stepped through the trapdoor and made his way down the stairs after the others. The walls were lit up with torches that blazed white. Last time, the flames were electric blue. Jeff must have changed them somehow.

“Just down here!” Jeff’s voice shouted alongside the many pairs of footsteps. “Wait till you see all the shit I’ve been able to make! This island is full of supplies!”

He hopped off the last step, and Jordon let out a small gasp as he and Dylan followed. They stood in a large stone cavern lit by bright white torches. The walls were dark blue and flecked with sparkles, as if the entire place was carved from crystal. Across the cave was a set of double doors that were chained together by the handles. A dozen tables and workbenches were scattered haphazardly throughout the room. Various tools, gadgets, and papers were sprawled across every surface. A bunch of sticky notes were slapped on a bulletin board on the wall to the left, pins sticking out of the board with strings tied to each, connecting a bunch of the notes together like a huge conspiracy board.

Matt raised an eyebrow. “Where do you sleep?”

“I don’t!” Jeff answered cheerfully, tossing his blowtorch to the side. It crashed into a table, and the sounds of shattering glass and splintering wood filled the cavern. “Sometimes I pass out for a couple hours while I’m working, but sleep is for the weak and I am _refusing_ to admit weakness until I figure out what the hell is going on in L.A.!”

“I don’t think that’s healthy,” Danny pointed out, but Jeff just waved his concern away.

“I’m fine, man, I haven’t died yet.” He ran over to one table and snatched a strange gizmo off its surface. “Now who wants to help me test this thing that might suck your brains out?”

Dylan and Jordon both raised their hands. “Me!” Dylan offered.

George nudged Dylan with his elbow. “Dude, seriously?”

Dylan elbowed him back. “Just because I’m your right hand doesn’t mean I can’t have fun,” he mumbled.

“Getting your brans sucked out isn’t fun.”

“How do you know? You ever had your brains sucked out before?”

George sighed. “Dee, we don’t have time for this.”

Jeff set the object back down. “You’re right. No fucking around. That’s not what I wanted to show you anyway.” He rushed over to the left wall covered in sticky notes. The rest of them followed.

Jeff stopped in front of the bulletin board, and the others gathered behind him to stare at his various notes. His writing was so messy, it was difficult to read any of it. He stared at the board for a moment, then grumbled to himself and started moving the strings to different pins.

“I felt a surge of power earlier today,” he said, snatching a pink note and slapping it next to a green one covered in what looked like mindless scribbles. “It felt like I just went through all of those trials in Angeles again. There were a bunch of tremors here, and there have been for the past two months.” He moved one pin down to a yellow sticky note. “Have you felt anything similar?”

George nodded. “The tremors were in L.A. too. Bunch of undead soldiers came out and attacked everyone. We took care of most of them. Dylan and I regained our powers at the same time, but they disappeared just before we came here.”

Jeff nodded. He took two pins out and slipped the strings off to tie them to different pins. “We haven’t gotten any soldiers here, but the earthquakes have been frequent. This place is still unstable from the shit those people did a thousand years ago.”

“What do you mean?” Jorel asked.

Jeff cracked his knuckles through his gloves and turned around, a pleased grin on his face now that he got to school his oblivious friends on magic stuff. “Well, Decker, a thousand years ago, this entire island was full of people who liked to fuck around with magic. They had a bunch of artifacts from the five most powerful places in Angeles and liked to go through the trials for fun. And I know you don’t remember going through them, but that shit is _not_ fun, so these people were clearly delirious. Anyway, the amount of magic fuckery they did over the centuries made the entire land unstable.” He turned again and started moving pins to different notes. “Surges of power caused earthquakes through the island, undead soldiers would pop up at random, and some kids were born with unnatural powers that they shouldn’t have had.” He jabbed a pin through a note that only said George’s name on it and tied a string from that pin to another note that said Dylan’s name. “There were two kids in particular that were dangerous. One, the people sent away to Sunset Island in hopes that he wouldn’t cause problems, and the other, they locked away down here.” He glanced back at the others. “That second kid is the lady we’re worried about. We have to make sure neither of them know who they are or what they can do.”

“But the other kid,” Danny spoke up. “That’s one of us, isn’t it?”

Jeff nodded once. He stepped back from his board and gazed up at it. “It’s not me, George, or Dylan,” he said. His eyes travelled upward to another note. He reached up and snatched it off the board before the others could read it. “And telling the rest of you who it is isn’t going to help anyone.”

“Wouldn’t it though?” Matt suggested. “I mean, if whoever it is knows, then maybe he can learn how to hold back these powers or whatever.”

Jeff shook his head. “Awareness is only going to strengthen them. I saw firsthand how bad those powers can get once you find out you have them. Not telling you is like... keeping that magic quarantined. It can’t get out, and the holder can’t access it.”

Jordon tapped his fingernail on one of his guns. “So basically... there’s a ticking time bomb in one of us, and if we find out who has it, it’ll explode.”

“Exactly.” Jeff ripped another note off the board. He shoved that and the first note he took down into the pocket of his jacket. “So that means we’re not telling you guys anything we don’t have to, including who this lady is.”

“We’re gonna find out who she is anyway when we fight her,” Matt pointed out.

“But if you know who she is, it won’t be hard to figure out which one of you has devastatingly dangerous powers,” George said. “So we’re keeping it under wraps for now.”

Jeff leaned against the wall. “Yeah. But she is going to be coming here for her armor soon. She got here about an hour ago, so she might be just about here. We should probably get ready for a fight.”

“Can you sense where she is now?” Dylan asked.

Jeff taped his foot and gazed at the floor. He blinked.

He whirled around and rushed for the double doors at the opposite end of the cave, the others staring on in confusion. He took a key from his pocket, jammed it in the padlock binding the doors, and untangled the chains from the handles. He flung the doors open.

“Son of a bitch, she snuck in!”

He rushed into the room beyond the doors, and the others followed, curious as to what the big deal was. The room was lit with two blue torches, one on the left wall and one on the right. Two chains dangled from the ceiling attached to empty shackles. They swung back and forth as if they’d been recently disturbed. Two armor stands stood in the centre of the room, one of them empty. The light was too dim to see the other stand very well.

“What happened?” Aron asked.

Jeff ran a hand through his hair. “Shit,” he hissed. “There’s gotta be a secret passage here somewhere! There’s no way she could get in through the main entrance. I’ve been here the whole time!” He swore under his breath. “I was planning on catching her when she came to get her armor. How the fuck are we supposed to get her now?”

“We’ll find her,” George assured him. “Do you know where she is now?”

Jeff sighed and pushed past him, making a beeline for his bulletin board. “I lost the trail. She’s long gone by now. We’ll never catch her.”

George followed him. “We’ll figure something out. Don’t worry.”

As he and Dylan went after Jeff, the others followed. Jorel, however couldn’t help but step further into the room. Something about the suit of armor on the second stand was intriguing to him, but he couldn’t explain why.

He furrowed his brow and brought out his phone. Tiger squeaked from inside his cloak as he turned on his flashlight. He aimed it at the armor. His breath caught in his throat as soon as he saw the symbol carved into the chestplate. If that symbol was somehow related to the person who should have that armor, then did that mean that the person was the other kid born with those destructive powers? It would make sense. Looking at that symbol, he had a sneaking suspicion as to which one of them it was, but he just couldn’t accept it. It had to be someone else. He just couldn’t see _him_ of all people having destructive powers like that.

“You coming?”

Jorel jumped and whirled around to see Danny still standing in the doorway, a mildly concerned shine in his eyes. His gaze was fixed on Jorel, totally oblivious to the symbol etched into the chestplate of the armor and what it would mean for all of them.

Jorel nodded and shoved his phone back in his pocket. Tiger nudged his hand affectionately. “Yeah,” he said. “I’m... I’m good. I’ll be right there.”

Danny looked uncertain, but he turned and left the room. Jorel found himself staring at the cross painted on the back of Danny’s cloak as he walked away to join the others.

* * *

She hopped off the last rung of the ladder in the long dark tunnel. The ladder was old and the bars were bent, but it worked well enough.

She had originally been planning to attack the Emperor’s Keep in order to drive out that Great Dragon and his rider, but she knew those heroes had shown up, and she couldn’t fight her way through all of them and their dragons. At least, not like this. She at least needed her armor first.

She pressed her ear against the stone wall. The sound of that dragon rider’s voice was just barely audible through the wall.

“Now who wants to help me test this thing that might suck your brains out?” he asked. She assumed he was speaking to those heroes. She couldn’t help but roll her eyes. Idiots, the lot of them.

She crouched to the ground, her dragon wrapping around her shoulders. She placed her hands under the thin crack in the rock and started to pull upward, but she hesitated. She didn’t want to go back in there. She spent so long in that prison that the thought of going back in was terrifying.

Sensing her fear, her dragon gently nudged her with its nose and whimpered. She took a deep breath. Right. She needed to get her armor. Fighting would be much harder without it.

She lifted the section of the wall to reveal a hole just big enough for her to crawl through. She shimmied through the hole and pushed herself to her feet. She was struck dumb the moment she saw her old prison. It looked like it hadn’t been disturbed in ages. Her old chains hung from the ceiling, completely still, not even a slight breeze available to disturb them. The two electric blue torches still burned on the walls, illuminating the room just enough for her to see the two armor stands in the middle of the room. A suit of armor hung from each. The armor had been made for the two of them long ago, as if the people of this old empire had known that they would need the two most powerful children born to their realm to defend it from the fate that would have destroyed them.

She cringed. All she could think about in this room was the pain the people of her world put her through, trying to condition her into being an obedient warrior to be set upon the Earth at their command. The memories stirred in her mind, and she almost wanted to turn and run from the room for fear that someone might rush in and scream at her for disobeying orders, and then they would chain her up again and hurt her for escaping her shackles, and they would isolate her for days without food and water so she would learn not to leave again, and—

Her dragon squeaked and nudged her arm, sensing her distress. She shook her head, trying to shake off her memories. She just had to get her armor, and then she could leave.

She hurried forward and started taking her armor off its stand. She was tempted to take the other suit, but she feared she didn’t have time for that. She was sure he would take his eventually.

She listened for the Emperor’s rider’s voice. “I felt a surge of power earlier today,” he was saying. He was probably explaining some things to his hero friends. She had to hurry.

She managed to grab the last of the armor and shove it into the large leather bag she had slung over her shoulder. She had stolen it from the remains of one of the cities so she could carry her stuff. She didn’t have time to suit up right now.

She rushed back to the passageway and shimmied through the hole. Her shoulders relaxed the second she was out of the room. Spending time in that room after a thousand years was more stressful than she thought it would have been.

However, now that she was out of there and properly prepared, there was nothing that could stand in her way. She would defeat them soon enough.

She just had to bide her time.


	11. Chosen One

“Are you sure you’re okay?”

Asia sighed as Vanessa frantically checked her over for injuries. “For the last time, I’m fine.” She’d come back about an hour ago, but Vanessa was still freaking out over Asia leaving in this middle of this disaster.

Reese leaned against the kitchen counter and watched as Vanessa unnecessarily rolled up Asia’s sleeve and examined her skin for wounds. “Maybe we should get a first aid kit,” she said.

“I think she’s fine,” Randi said from where she sat at the table, gently bouncing James on her lap. “Come sit down, V.”

Vanessa sighed, but she relented. She finally stepped away from Asia and sat down at the kitchen table. After their husbands all left to do whatever it was they were doing, the five of them, along with their kids and various pets, had all gathered together in Asia’s house. They didn’t know how bad it was in the middle of the city, but they figured there was strength in numbers. If anything happened closer to where they lived, they could keep each other safe.

Anna bit her lip, staring out the kitchen window at the street. She seemed more anxious than the rest of them combined. None of them knew why. However, they just let her stand there and stare. They had already tried to reassure her, but she just brushed off their attempts.

Reese absently scratched Anna’s dog behind the ears, lost in her thoughts. Danny had returned to their house for a brief moment, with that strange golden creature right behind him. A crossbow had been strapped to his back, and a shiny golden cloak fluttered from his shoulders. He had hardly explained anything before he ran up to their room and started packing a change of clothes.

“I don’t even really know where we’re going,” he’d said when she asked. “Or how long we’ll be gone. Dylan and George didn’t explain shit. All I know is that I have to go.”

“You don’t have to,” Reese had said. “Just because they tell you to doesn’t mean—”

“I want to though,” Danny had whispered, shoving a t-shit in the leather bag on his shoulder. “I don’t know why. I just... I feel like this is something I need to do, even though I know next to nothing about what’s going on.” He’d looked at her with his sad hazel eyes. “I’m really sorry, Reese.”

With that, he’d given her a kiss, hugged Scarlett, ruffled Roman’s hair, and left with the golden creature.

Vanessa wasn’t much better off. As soon as Jorel returned, he’d introduced her and Tiger to the little creature he’d found, whose name was coincidentally also Tiger. They decided to call her Tiger Senior, since apparently she was older than their cat. Vanessa had so many questions, but Jorel just didn’t have answers. He’d shoved a bunch of stuff in a backpack and left with Tiger Senior with hardly any explanation. She was worried out of her mind.

Randi glanced into the living room, where Scarlett and Ava were sitting on the couch and watching TV. Roman, Jack, and Holly all sat on the ground, playing with baby toys. She found herself missing Jordon again for the fifth time in as many minutes. He’d come home again with that huge grey creature and started packing some things into the leather bag on his shoulder.

“What’s going on?” Randi had asked, but she received no answer that actually explained anything.

“I don’t really know,” Jordon had said. He’d looked at Randi with excitement shining in his eyes. “But it’s gonna be fun.”

She asked what he meant, and he babbled something about heroes and dragons before he kissed her goodbye and rushed out of the house. She had watched him in shock as he flew away on that grey dragon. Wherever he was, she hoped he was okay.

Anna bit her lip, still staring out the window. None of the others knew what was wrong with her, but they got the feeling she knew more about this situation than she was letting on.

* * *

George twisted his wedding ring as he watched Jeff frantically organize the sticky notes on his board. “Figure anything out yet?” he asked.

Jeff jabbed a pin through a note. “Nope,” he said, popping the “p” in the word. “Gonna take a lot more time to see if I can find out why only me, you, Dyl, and her remember our past, why the other guys haven’t remembered yet, why he hasn’t displayed any signs at all of having his old powers, why it’s so hard to sense her when she’s that close to my Keep...” His words trailed off into distracted mumbling as he smacked another sticky note on the board and scribbled something on it. He fell silent. “Why the hell can’t I control the undead soldiers anymore?” he burst. “I’ve been trying for two months now! I bet she somehow got control over them! Ooh, Shady, you’re onto something!” He started moving more sticky notes to different places.

Danny raised an eyebrow. “He’s delirious, isn’t he?” he asked Matt.

Matt nodded. “When he starts referring to himself in third person, you know he’s lost it.”

George turned to Dylan and Jordon, who were busy messing with the brain-sucking device Jeff had mentioned earlier. “Could you two go check on Jorel and Aron? I get a bad feeling about us being separated like this.”

Dylan’s shoulders slumped. “Fine.” He set the gadget down and grabbed Jordon’s wrist. “Let’s go, homie.”

Jordon followed him excitedly towards the stairs, seemingly unbothered by the fact that they were interrupted in messing around with Jeff’s stuff. He seemed excited about literally everything in this place.

Dylan and Jordon rushed up the stairs. Aron and Jorel had left Jeff’s workshop, mostly because Jeff wouldn’t stop making vague threats towards Aron, and Aron didn’t want to leave alone just in case Jeff’s dragon decided to eat him.

Jorel and Aron remained sitting at the top of the stairs as the dragons around them squawked in conversation. Jeff and the others were trying to figure out some things, mainly why this mysterious lady hadn’t confronted them and when she might spring an attack.

The entire situation they were in was so strange to them, and yet it somehow felt right. The only reason none of them were freaking out about all this crazy stuff about being a hero from a thousand years ago is because they felt oddly familiar with the concept. No matter how much any of them wanted to deny that they had anything to do with this, they had to admit that this was something that just felt normal.

Aron sighed. Nine had rested his head on his lap and Aron was gently petting his crystalline feathers. “I wish I knew more about all this,” he muttered as Nine purred.

Jorel nodded. He glanced back at the other dragons. Somehow, the sight of George and Jordon’s dragons playfully snapping at each other was familiar. Tiger Senior had scampered off to join them, and she leaped onto the back of Danny’s dragon before scampering back onto the floor with a squeak. Dylan’s dragons lay on the floor together, one of them with its head resting on the other’s back. Matt’s two dragons had separated themselves from the rest of the group, curled up together on the ground. The bigger one stared at the others with what might have been disdain, and the smaller one chirped as it happily nuzzled into the crook between the other’s neck and arm. Jeff’s dragon stood near the black rock walls surrounding the area, and its white eyes were narrowed right at Jorel and Aron. It didn’t even seem to blink at all. Jorel waved at it. It snarled in response.

“This is so weird,” Aron whispered. “Like... can you really imagine any of us having destructive superpowers and destroying the world?”

Jorel hesitated. “No,” he said after a moment. “I can’t.” He rested his chin in his hands. “None of us.”

Aron snorted. “Especially not Danny. He’s a baby. Imagine him destroying anything.”

An image appeared in Jorel’s head. He saw Danny, an infuriated scowl on his face, hazel eyes ringed with fire as he stood in the middle of a scorching blaze. Jorel shook the image from his mind. “You’d be surprised,” he whispered.

Aron leaned back. “What about Matt?” he asked curiously.

Another memory surfaced. Matt on Saint’s back, her three heads all snarling and roaring in rage. Matt held her reins in one hand, his eyes glowing a bright violet.

“I don’t think so,” Jorel blurted. He wished Aron would stop suggesting people. These randomly resurfacing memories weren’t nice.

Footsteps pounded on the stairs below them. Dylan and Jordon were running towards them, hand in hand. Jordon’s face fell from a smile to a scowl when he saw Aron, but Dylan’s mood didn’t seem dampened at all.

“How’s it going?” Dylan asked. He and Jordon stopped on the stairs below Jorel and Aron. “You guys okay? Shade hasn’t tried to eat you yet?”

Aron shot a wary glance at Jeff’s dragon. “Not yet.”

Jordon wriggled his hand out of Dylan’s grip and ran out into the Keep, rushing right by Aron and Jorel. “Hey Viral, you’re not gonna fucking believe the brain-sucking thing Jeff made!” Viral grunted happily as his companion rushed towards him.

Dylan watched as Jordon ran off. “So,” he said, “do you guys remember... _anything_ from a thousand years ago? Anything at all?” He looked back and forth between Jorel and Aron, waiting for an answer.

Aron hunched his shoulders. “I mean... there have been small bits and pieces.” He looked down at Nine, who looked almost asleep with his head in Aron’s lap. “I think I left some sort of island because I didn’t want to be around people who hated dragons. I thought no one else liked them, so I flew away with Nine.”

“That island was called Sunset,” Dylan said, a ghost of a smile on his lips. “Jay? You got anything?”

Jorel looked into Dylan’s eyes, and another image passed through his mind. It was Dylan, standing in the middle of... oh god, were those bodies? Dozens of them were sprawled all over the ground, piled together haphazardly, as if someone had shoved them aside to make room for Dylan. Blood dripped from his clothes, some splattered on his face and matting his hair. In one hand was a sword that looked oddly similar to the one George carried. The steel blade was red with blood.

Jorel shook his head, forcing the image form his mind. “No,” he said, his voice a little shaky. “I don’t remember anything.” What the hell had that been? When George told them about their past adventure as heroes, he’d never described anything like what Jorel had just seen. Dylan only used George’s sword once, just to kill one of those Great Dragons. He never used it to kill anything else, or anyone. Hadn’t he?

Dylan quirked an eyebrow, as if he knew Jorel was lying, but he said nothing about it. “Alright. Well, if you have any questions I can answer, within reason of course, don’t be afraid to ask.”

Jorel gave a quick nod. “I’ll... I’ll keep that in mind.”

Footsteps ran up the stairs. Dylan turned around to see Jeff sprinting towards them, his goggles crooked on the top of his head and his eyes wide. Dylan stepped out of the way as he barrelled past.

“We gotta fucking go!” Jeff yelled, pushing Aron aside. Nine squeaked at the movement and lifted his head, glancing about in surprise.

George, Danny, and Matt ran after Jeff. “What’s wrong?” Dylan asked, falling into step next to George.

“She’s nearby!” Jeff yelled, making a beeline for Shade. “I can fucking feel it! Get on your dragons!”

George stopped at the top of the stairs. “Calm down, Jeff!” he shouted. “We don’t need to rush!”

Jeff turned back to look at George, halfway on Shade’s back. He paused, staring at George. “I don’t have to answer to you!” he yelled finally, scrambling onto Shade’s back.

George rolled his eyes, muttering a few curses under his breath. Having this Jeff on the team was somehow more exasperating than dealing with past Jeff.

“Saddle up,” he said to the others with a sigh.

Shade took off, Jeff on his back. “Woo!” Jordon yelled in excitement, climbing onto Viral’s back. “Adventure!” Letting out a happy squawk, Viral spread his wings and lifted off after Shade.

Dove and Grenade scrambled to their feet and ran up to Dylan. Dylan hopped on Grenade’s back. “Come on, Jay.”

Jorel hesitated as Tiger hopped onto his shoulders. He couldn’t get the image of a blood-drenched Dylan standing in the middle of piles of bodies out of his mind.

However, he sat on Dove’s back despite his instincts screaming at him to get away from Dylan. She purred as Jorel scratched her under the chin. He adjusted himself so he wouldn’t fall off. “Let’s go then,” he whispered.

Dove launched into the air after the others.


	12. Heart Of A Champion

“Will you at least tell us where she is?” Dylan asked. He’d guided Grenade so they were flying next to Jeff. They’d all been flying north for a couple minutes, but Jeff still hadn’t slowed down.

“I’m still trying to figure out where the hell she is!” Jeff yelled. “She’s evading my senses somehow! This is bullshit!” Shade screeched in furious agreement.

Grenade glanced back at Dylan. The two of them shared an exhausted look. It wasn’t easy to reason with Jeff, especially this version of him, with his aggressive tendencies from a thousand years ago and his near delirious behavior from his current life. Dylan almost found himself wishing Jeff had reverted back to the edgy, moody dragon rider he had been in their past life. At least he’d been more or less willing to listen back then.

“Wait!” Jeff and Shade stopped dead in their tracks. The rest of the dragons shot by them and slowed when they noticed Jeff had stopped.

“What is it?” George asked, one hand resting on the pommel of his sword.

Jeff and Shade scanned the ground. The others waited for Jeff to say something.

Jeff tugged on the reins, and Shade swooped down towards the ground. The rest of them followed, preparing themselves for a possible fight. They didn’t know what would be waiting for them on the ground, but none of them were too eager to find out.

They set down in an open field and slid off their dragons. Butterflies fluttered up from the grass and settled on George’s cloak. He didn’t seem to care.

Jeff craned his neck to stare at the landscape around them. He pointed to a long stone cliff sticking out of the ground nearby. Three different openings stood in the rock. “She’s somewhere in those caves.”

Dylan hesitated. He didn’t like caves all that much.

“There are three tunnels,” George said. “Looks like we’re splitting up.”

“I’m not going with Jeff,” Dylan said immediately.

Jeff pressed a hand to his chest, staring at Dylan like he was offended. “Really? Whyever not?”

“Last time we were in a cave together, you killed my dragon,” Dylan reminded him. Grenade growled in agreement.

Jeff waved a hand. “Like I said, water under the bridge.” He glanced at Aron. “I’m not going with him, though.”

“Fair enough,” Aron said. “I’d rather not be around you either.”

George slid off Monarch’s back. “I’ll split up the groups.” He pointed to Jeff. “Now who’s crazy enough to go with him? If I don’t get any volunteers, I’m choosing someone at random.”

Dead silence.

“I’ll do it,” Matt sighed finally.

“Yes!” Jeff ran up to Matt and slung an arm around his shoulders. “This is gonna be so fun.”

Matt looked at George. “I’m already regretting my decision.”

“Too bad, you can’t take it back.” George turned to Dylan. “Dee, you’re taking Jorel and Danny. I’ll stick with Aron and Jordon.”

Dylan raised an eyebrow. “Are you sure you want Jordon and Aron together?” he asked quietly. “They still kinda seem to hate each other because of the Swan Songs stuff. Look at them.”

George glanced back at the two. Jordon had crossed his arms and was glaring daggers at Aron. Aron avoided his gaze, staring down at the ground with his hands jammed in the pockets of his jeans. Nine stood next to him, glaring back at Jordon with a growl rumbling in the back of his throat.

“I can handle them,” George said. “Besides, maybe I can get them working together.”

Dylan shook his head. “Whatever, homie. Good luck with that.” He turned to Danny and Jorel. “Y’all are with me! Which cave are we taking?”

Jorel turned to look at the caves. “I get a good feeling about the left one,” he said, pointing.

Dylan linked his arms with Danny and Jorel’s. “Then let’s go.” Lion, Dove, and Grenade ran alongside them.

“We’ll take the middle one!” Jeff exclaimed. He took Matt’s hand and dragged him along towards the caves. Claire squeaked and skittered after them.

As the other two groups went off to explore their caves, George turned to Jordon and Aron. “You guys better not kill each other while we’re in there,” he said. “I don’t want any fighting, got it?”

“I’m not making any promises,” Jordon grumbled.

George crossed his arms. “Jordon,” he said firmly.

Jordon tried to stare him down, but he lowered his gaze. “Fine. But if he starts being an asshole, don’t expect me to be nice to him.”

George gestured for the two to follow as he started towards the caves. “Come on, then.” He was starting to regret pairing the two together, but he hoped they could manage to stay civil with each other. He didn’t want to clean up any spilled blood.

He heard their footsteps behind him as they walked up to the caves. Dylan, Danny, Jorel, and their dragons disappeared into their tunnel soon after Matt, Jeff, and Claire ran into theirs.

George stepped into the cave. The swarm of butterflies on his cloak fluttered away as soon as he entered the darkness. He reached into the small bag he had slung over his shoulder and rummaged around. He knew the flashlight he’d packed would come in handy. He pulled it out and flicked it on. The grey stone ceiling was low. George almost had to crouch a little to keep himself from hitting his head. The tunnel stretched far ahead of them, his flashlight beam fading into the darkness.

Jordon quickened his pace so he was walking next to George. He leaned in closer to whisper. “I say we ditch him the moment we can.”

George shot him a glare. “Jordon, we are not ditching anyone,” he snapped, not bothering to keep his voice quiet. “I know you’re upset over the shit he did in the band, but that doesn’t fucking matter. Drop the subject.”

Jordon scowled, but he lowered his gaze and shoved his hands in his pockets. “Jeff said something about him doing something a thousand years ago,” he muttered. “What did he do?”

“I kind of want to know, too,” Aron spoke up, his voice a little quiet. He and Nine walked side by side behind the other two, deliberately keeping a small distance between them and George and Jordon.

“I’m sure you’ll remember soon enough,” George mumbled, although he half-hoped Aron never remembered his past. He sort of hoped that none of the others remembered. They already knew they were heroes. Bringing back traumatic memories wouldn’t help them. They knew enough now.

Jordon pulled out his phone and turned on the flashlight. “Guess I can cross spelunking off my bucket list.”

Aron stuck close to Nine as they followed the other two. “I’ve never been in a cave before.”

“Yeah you have,” George corrected. “You just don’t remember.” He reached out and pressed his free hand to the wall. “This one doesn’t glow when we touch it, though.”

“That’s sad.” Jordon reached up and touched the ceiling. “It would be cool if it did.”

“There is one glowing cave on this island,” George said.

“Can you take us there?” Jordon asked eagerly.

George probably shouldn’t have mentioned that. “No. That’s not a good idea.”

Jordon’s shoulders slumped. “Oh come on. Why not?”

“It’s just not a good place to be. Bad memories.”

Jordon sighed. “Why can’t you just tell us what happened here? You’ve never hidden things from me before.”

“This isn’t a normal situation, Jordon,” George said. “This is dangerous. I can’t tell you more than you already know.” He felt awful having to keep things from one of his best friends, but it was necessary. If the others knew everything about their past now, it wouldn’t end well for any of them.

“We’re just going to remember everything anyway,” Aron reminded him. “Isn’t it just a matter of time?”

“Yes, but the longer we put it off, the longer we stay safe. Please, I don’t want to argue with either of you about this.”

They slowed to a stop when they came to a fork in the tunnel. It branched off to either side, each tunnel stretching into the darkness ahead.

“Where do we go?” Aron asked.

George shone his flashlight down each tunnel. He turned to the one on the right. “That one.”

“Why that one?” Jordon wondered.

George shrugged. “Why not?”

Jordon paused. “Fair enough.” He started forward.

George followed behind him with the flashlight. He heard quicker footsteps behind him, and Aron and Nine slowed down when they caught up to George. “Hey,” he said quietly.

George shot him a sideways glance. Aron’s shoulders were hunched, and he stared down at the ground as if he was nervous.

“You okay?” George asked.

“Yeah. I’m just... a little confused.”

“About what?”

“You don’t seem to hate me,” Aron said. “I was a dick during Desperate Measures—and so were you if I’m being honest—but you’re treating me like we’re still friends. Why don’t you hate me? And why are you making it so hard for me to hate you? Seriously, I’ve been trying to, but you’re making it really difficult. Why are you so nice?”

George hesitated before he answered. He really should have hated Aron, considering everything from their current and past lives, but he couldn’t bring himself to. Aron had improved as a person in this life, and he remembered next to nothing from their past. Right now, he was just looking to be a slightly better person than he was when he was in Hollywood Undead.

“Because you’re not so bad,” George said. “Besides, Jeff and Jordon are being assholes to you. Someone needs to make up for that.”

“I can hear you!” Jordon called from ahead in the darkness.

“That’s the point!” George yelled back. He sighed. “Anyway, you’re not as bad as the others think you are. Besides, Jorel is thrilled to see you. I’m not gonna burst his bubble.”

Aron’s eyes widened a little. “He’s actually happy to see me?”

“Yeah. You haven’t noticed?”

“No.” Aron fidgeted with the end of his cloak. “I just thought he was being nice because you were doing the same.”

“Stop trying to make us pity you,” Jordon called.

“Shut up Jordon,” George snapped. “I’m not letting you pick a fight with him. We’re supposed to be working together.”

“Last time we worked with him, he didn’t show up for a tour!” Jordon shot back. “And need I remind you of the time he accused us of jumping him in an alley? Or the time he accused us of throwing anti-Semitic slurs at him? Or the time he literally took one of the songs on our album—with _your_ own lyrics in it, George—and slapped it on one of his own albums? Or the time he—”

“We get it, Jordon,” George said. Maybe Dylan was right. Pairing up Aron and Jordon was a mistake. “Stop being an asshole about it.”

“I’ll stop being an asshole when he apologizes for the shit he’s done. Why aren’t you mad about this?”

“I’m about to get mad,” George growled. “Chill out. No one needs to argue about this. If you’re not going to cooperate, you can go back to Los Angeles and leave this for the people who are mature enough not to let some old grudge get in the way of us working as a team. Got it?”

Jordon glanced back, and his mildly hurt expression came into the view of George’s flashlight beam. He turned back to the front and didn’t speak again.

* * *

Matt practically had to run after Jeff as they made their way through the tunnel. “Can’t you slow down?” he asked.

“Danger waits for no one!” Jeff shouted in response.

Claire snorted and rolled her violet eyes. Matt hardly remembered anything about her, but she seemed like a dragon after his own heart. He certainly felt some sort of bond with her, similar to that he would have with a pet, but more like one he would have with a friend. She acted more like a person than an animal. Matt was sure that he’d been good friends with her once. He wanted to rebuild that bond.

But it would be hard to do that when he was running after a lunatic in a dark tunnel.

“Jeff, come on,” Matt called, trying to see Jeff’s flashlight in the dark. “I’m not going to try keeping up. I’ll just turn around and leave if you’re not willing to work with me.”

A loud sigh echoed off the walls, and the footsteps ahead of them slowed. Matt and Claire jogged to catch up. Jeff still walked at a brisk pace, but Matt managed to match his speed. At least he wasn’t sprinting.

Matt figured he should try talking to Jeff. If what Dylan said was true, Jeff wasn’t the same sort of person he was when he was managing their band. Maybe he should get to know him again since they would be stuck working together.

Matt shot a glance at Claire. She shrugged.

He took a deep breath. “So,” he started. “You live here now? Like, on this island?”

Jeff nodded. “For the last two months, yeah.”

“How did you get here?”

Jeff rested his free hand on the pommel of the dagger at his belt. “Well, it started when I was chilling with my goats and chickens in the house I live in in the mountains.”

Matt furrowed his brow. “Wait, you live with goats and chickens? In the mountains?”

“Yeah, but that’s not the point of the story. Anyway, I went to bed, and the next thing I knew, I was killing a dragon.”

“I’m sorry, what?”

“It was in a dream,” Jeff explained. “But I didn’t know it was a dream. You know how in dreams, your life could be entirely different and you just see it as normal? Like, you could be a German exchange student in a private school in Alaska, but you don’t even question it and you think that’s just your life and you live it? That’s what this felt like. I didn’t remember being Shady Jeff or a musician or living in the mountains. In the dream, I was...” He swallowed and looked at the ground. “I killed dragons for a living. Hunted them, too. And that is a shit job to have once you realize that dragons aren’t bad. Once Jordon regains his memories, you can ask him about that, too.”

Matt blinked as he processed that. “So, you were dreaming about your life from a thousand years ago?”

“Yeah,” Jeff muttered. “The first bit wasn’t pretty.” He sighed. “Look, I don’t know if George and Dylan told you what I did back then, but I’m not proud of it.”

“They told us you used to be evil,” Matt answered.

Jeff barked out a laugh. _“That’s_ the word they used? I mean, I get it. They were the heroes, I was the villain, whatever. But they’re not wrong. I... I did some fucked up shit. I tried to kill dragons, then I decided I liked dragons and tried to kill a bunch of people. I didn’t succeed, though. Danny beat the shit out of me. Well, not really, but he threatened to burn me to death if I moved, so that happened.”

“He _what?”_

Jeff waved a hand dismissively. “That was at the end of our epic battle. Anyway, I relived most of my life in that one dream. I woke up to realize that I’d basically been in a coma for two days.” He drew his dagger and turned it in his hand. “I sat on my bed for another hour trying to process everything. All my memories were jumbled. I could hardly tell who I was anymore. It felt like this life, the one I spent being your manager and being a mechanic, was a lie. I couldn’t even figure out where I was or what I was supposed to do or where I was supposed to go. I still felt a connection to this life, but I had just relived almost everything from a thousand years ago, so I had to spend a few hours trying to process that I wasn’t a dragon rider anymore and that Angeles was gone. I thought Shade was gone, too,” he added with a pang of emotion in his words.

Matt glanced at Claire, searching for confirmation of Jeff’s story, and she nodded. He turned back to Jeff. “Where was Shade?”

“In our Keep,” Jeff answered. “But he must have known that I remembered everything, because he flew all the way out to find me. I left my goats and chickens with a sitter and left.”

Matt decided to ignore the fact that goatsitters and chickensitters existed and moved on. “So you abandoned your life to live on an island with no electricity and no running water, all because you had a coma-induced dream about dragons.”

“It wasn’t just a dream, though,” Jeff said. “They were _memories_. I knew they happened. I know you might not understand it yet, but you will. You’re getting bits and pieces back, aren’t you? You know it’s more than just passing thoughts and dreams.”

Matt hated to admit that Jeff of all people was right, but he nodded. “Yeah.” He reached up and scratched Claire on the head. “I know. But you’re so... different. You’re more eccentric, and more angry, and your fashion sense has certainly changed.” He waved towards Jeff’s sweeping coat, tall leather boots, and brown leather gloves. “I feel like I don’t know you at all anymore. Why have you embraced your past self more than your current one?”

Jeff hesitated. “Well... there are a few reasons. The biggest one, though, is... I just need to make things better. I can’t be the ‘evil dragon rider’ that I used to be, and I can’t change that part of myself if I ignore it. If I ignored everything I knew about my past and just accepted my current life, the guilt of not trying to improve would crush me. I hurt dragons, and I hurt people. I need to make up for it.” He tightened his grip on his flashlight. “I still haven’t apologized to Dove for blinding her.”

Matt’s eyes widened a little. “Wait, Dove? Dylan’s dragon? Did... did you—”

“I made those scars on her face,” Jeff admitted bitterly. “I used to be her rider. I guess no one told you that even back then. I need to be a hero this time.” A determined look came over his face. “Which is why I need to find this evil bitch as soon as possible.”

He quickened his pace. Matt exchanged a concerned glance with Claire before they both hurried after him.

* * *

Dylan kept his arms linked with Jorel’s and Danny’s as they made their way into the cave. Lion, Dove, and Grenade trotted along behind the three of them. Dylan didn’t know what would be waiting for them in the tunnel, but he hoped they could handle it. If they bumped into her, she could kill all of them in a second.

Danny had brought out his phone and had turned on his flashlight so they could see. Lion trotted along ahead of them, opening her mouth on occasion and spewing random streams of glowing light mist. The walls sparkled like the inside of a geode. They reminded Dylan of the inside of the No-Way-Out Caves, which made him glad he hadn’t come in here with Jeff. That would have brought forth some particularly horrible memories.

“Can you at least tell us who we’re looking for?” Jorel asked, scratching Tiger behind her horns.

Dylan sighed. “Trust me, man, I would love to, but George doesn’t want to risk anything. If you remember what happened with her, you might remember more, and we don’t need Danny to panic or you to break down crying.”

“I’m sure we’d be fine,” Danny said.

“No you wouldn’t,” Dylan said. “A better course of action would have been to tell you before, and then we would have stayed in the Keep while you recovered your memories, but George doesn’t want to risk anything. I’m just going to do what he says for now.”

“I’ve never seen you trying to be responsible,” Jorel pointed out. “It’s a nice change. I mean, I love you when you’re higher than shit and being a dumbass, but this is different. In a good way.”

Dylan was a little taken aback by the observation, but he took it as a compliment. “Thanks, I guess.” He took a deep breath. “I mean, it’s kinda weird. I’m not used to being responsible, but I think I just... made it happen as soon as shit started to go downhill. George said I’m his right hand man, so I feel like I have to take some responsibility.”

“You don’t have to,” Danny said. “Jorel and I are usually the responsible ones, anyway. You can let us help out.”

“But you guys didn’t have to drag yourselves into this,” Dylan said. “You were right, Danny. You should be back in L.A. with your families. We shouldn’t have pressured you into helping.”

Danny sighed. “I shouldn’t have yelled at you guys for not thinking the same way I was. I know you and George care about your families. I shouldn’t have accused you of caring more about this than your family.”

“I get it, though,” Dylan said. “I didn’t want to leave Anna and Holly, either.”

Jorel nudged Dylan with his elbow. “Guys? Do you feel that?”

Dylan and Danny stopped talking. All three of them paused in their tracks, and their dragons stopped as well. They sniffed at the walls and floor in confusion.

Then Danny and Dylan heard it: a faint rumbling coming from all around them.

“I think we picked the right cave,” Dylan muttered. His heart pounded as he considered what might happen if they bumped into _her_ in this small tunnel. If she was here, this wasn’t a safe place to be.

He unhooked his arms from Danny’s and Jorel’s and drew both of his daggers. “Stay on your guard,” he whispered.

Danny and Jorel exchanged a mildly confused glance. However, they both drew their weapons. Tiger whimpered and curled around Jorel’s chest under his cloak as he clutched his spear in both hands.

Danny gazed around the cave with his phone flashlight as they slowly continued on through the tunnel. “I’m getting a bad feeing about this,” he whispered.

“Me too,” Jorel mumbled.

Dylan kept his footsteps quiet as they walked on. Grenade whimpered and sidled up closer to Dove. She nudged him with her nose, trying to comfort him, but a fearful whine rose up in her throat as she did so. Lion trotted along at the head of the group, spewing glowing mist every few seconds to keep the tunnel lit. Tiger huddled into Jorel’s cloak until she disappeared from view. He could feel her shaking a little. He hated to bring her into this. Maybe he should have left her at home with Vanessa. She would have been much safer there.

A deep rumble echoed off the walls as the tunnel trembled. Danny walked up next to Lion for some form of comfort. He nocked back an arrow, glancing fearfully around the cave. He wasn’t prepared for a fight. Why did Jorel have to pick this tunnel to go into?

Dylan nudged his way to the front of the group, Dove and Grenade jogging after him. He might have to protect the others if something happened, just in case they couldn’t defend themselves. They’d already been in one battle so far, but they’d chosen to fly into the undead army on their dragons themselves, and they had the element of surprise on their side. Now, all they had were a few dragons and a couple weapons.

And the person they were going up against was much more powerful than a few thousand undead soldiers.

The rumbling stopped. As they continued on, the cave didn’t start shaking again for a few minutes. Dylan allowed himself to relax a little. Maybe she wasn’t in here after all.

Then again, she could have been fighting the other guys in another tunnel. That thought made him want to run out of this cave and help whoever was in trouble, but he wouldn’t know which cave to go into. Their best bet was to keep going through this tunnel and see who or what they could find.

He peered through the shadows. Despite Danny’s flashlight and Lion’s glowing breath, it was still pretty dark. Maybe he should have worn his light-up Sketchers.

“I think we’re okay,” Jorel whispered. He lessened his grip on his spear.

“Maybe,” Dylan said. He kept his knives in his hands, just in case, but the walls had stopped shaking. He was starting to think they were fine now.

He heard a faint sparking noise from above and looked up. He saw nothing but rock, but he kept his gaze on the ceiling. He got the feeling they weren’t the only living things in this cave.

A bright blue spark flashed in the darkness. He squinted, but he couldn’t see anything. The sound of claws skittering on rock scratched along the ceiling.

“What was that?” Danny whispered. His knuckles were white on his crossbow.

Dylan’s shoulders tensed. He was pretty sure knew what this was.

Another blue spark lit up on the ceiling ahead of them. A chirp of a dragon echoed off the stone walls, all but confirming Dylan’s sinking suspicion.

“I think it wants us to follow it,” Dylan said.

“What is it?” Jorel asked.

Dylan swallowed. He sure hoped he was wrong. “Something that knows where she is.”

He started forward. Dove and Grenade ran after him, walking on either side of him and nuzzling his arms for comfort. Danny and Jorel looked at each other in confusion, but they followed.

Dylan kept his grip tight on his daggers as he rushed after the blue sparks and skittering claws. His stomach turned with fear, but he suppressed it as best he could. He knew what he was walking towards. He knew it would come to this eventually. He didn’t have the time to be scared.

The sparks paused. They had come to a T in the tunnel, but in the wall was the entrance to another cave. He hesitated, but he stepped inside. Danny and Jorel scrambled after him. Lion brought up the rear of the group, whimpering in fright at the dark cave.

The blue sparks flashed along the ceiling, accompanied by the scratching claws. They stopped ahead and circled in one spot. A dragon squeaked in the tunnel.

Dylan took a deep breath. He wasn’t ready for a confrontation, but he couldn’t avoid it.

He walked further into the cave, both hands spinning their daggers on their chains. Danny and Jorel were right behind him. Their weapons were drawn, and they glanced about for any sign of danger.

“Hello, boys.”

They all jumped at the voice. Two sconces in the wall lit up with electric blue flames, and they winced from the sudden light. Danny lowered his phone as torches blazed to life along the walls, casting the room in a dim glow. They noticed that they were standing in a circular stone cavern with long stalactites hanging from the ceiling. A black dragon, similar to Tiger in shape, was curled around one of the rocky spikes. Its eyes sparked with electricity as it snaked down the spike and slipped off. It fell and landed on the shoulders of a silhouette standing right in the middle of the room.

A brazier lit up right in front of the person. Her long blonde hair was pinned up into a braided crown. A spear was clutched in her fist, the pommel resting on the ground. The armor that covered her body was black, and it shone with a metallic sheen in the dim blue light. Only her left shoulder was guarded by a pauldron. Her gauntlets moved like gloves as she shifted her grip on her spear. Her gleaming chestplate led into segmented tassets, which were strapped to the greaves covering her legs from the knees down. Clasped over her gorget was a one-shouldered cyan cape, which was half draped over her right arm. In her chestplate, the Roman numerals “XI” had been carved and painted over with bright blue. Her smile was just barely visible in the light of the blue torches. The ground at her feet was riddled with cracks. Strength seemed to radiate off her form, and Danny and Jorel took a step back.

Dylan, however, stood his ground. “You’re here,” he said, keeping his voice flat.

She smiled a little wider as her dragon curled around her chest. “Good of you to notice. I believe it’s quite rude to barge into someone’s home without knocking first. You haven’t even introduced yourselves yet.”

“You already know who we are,” Dylan snapped.

“But do they know who I am?” she asked, nodding in Danny and Jorel’s direction. She began to walk around the room, her spear tapping on the ground with every step.

Dylan stayed where he was, his eyes moving with her as she walked. “Maybe.”

She scoffed, her smile morphing into a mischievous grin as she approached Dylan from the side. She walked behind Dylan and lifted the end of his cloak with the tip of her spear. “Still wearing this, are you? Tell me, has my dearest brother found out he’s not one of you yet?”

Dylan refused to turn around to face her. “No. And we’re going to keep it that way.”

“Are you now?” she mused. She dropped Dylan’s cape and continued around the room, shooting a passing, disinterested glance at Danny and Jorel. Jorel could have sworn she was familiar, but he couldn’t remember where he’d seen her before.

Dylan glared at her from under his hood, his head lowered a bit. Showing too much defiance and aggression around her didn’t end up well last time. He settled for a mildly menacing glare, keeping his daggers in his hands in case a fight broke out.

His heart pounded faster when the point of her spear touched under his chin. “Ah ah ah,” she tutted. “It’s rude not to look at someone when you’re talking to them.”

He reluctantly raised his head enough to look her in the eye. She smirked and stepped away. She leaned on the brazier behind her. “Now then, I do think some introductions are in order.” Her dragon chirped in agreement. Electricity sparked from its eyes to her armor.

Dylan gave a light sigh. He pointed to Jorel and Danny. “You already know Danny, Jorel, and Tiger.” He waved towards the other three dragons. “And Lion, Dove, and Grenade.” He finally gestured to the armored woman in front of them. “Everyone, this is—”

It was then that Jorel realized why this lady was so familiar. He hadn’t seen her in years, but the resemblance to Aron was unmistakable. Her name was out of his mouth before he knew he was speaking.

“Arina Erlichman.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> i have work on Sunday, Monday, and Tuesday, but i think i can return to Tuesday and Saturday updates for next week. i'll probably have just enough time before work on Tuesday to put up a chapter. i hope y'all enjoyed this shitty chapter because shit is going to get REAL soon


	13. Psalms

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> this is probably going to be the last week that i do 2 updates a week, so from now on, new chapters will only come out on Saturdays. things are busy for me right now so i can't write as much :(

**One Thousand Years Ago**

Dylan leaned in to speak to George, keeping his gaze on the huge white dragon flying in front of them. “Are you crazy sure about this?”

“One hundred percent,” George said firmly. He gently tugged on Monarch’s reins. “The sooner we find them a Keep, the sooner they can get out of our hair.”

“I guess,” Dylan muttered.

Danny slung an arm around Dylan’s shoulders. “He’ll be fine, man. Chill.”

Dylan couldn’t help but feel reassured by Danny’s statement. If the one responsible person of the group was sure they’d be fine, then they probably would be.

He also noticed that Danny didn’t take his arm away and step back. Instead, he just stood next to Dylan on Monarch’s back, arm around Dylan and head resting on his shoulder. A few months ago, when they first met, Dylan couldn’t see the guy willingly showing physical affection for anyone while he was sober. Now, he was doing it all the time. He kept ruffling Jorel’s hair, squeezing Jordon into side hugs—sometimes he’d even clap Aron on the shoulder when they saw each other. He seemed so much more comfortable being around people now.

And as Dylan looked up towards Viral, he couldn’t help but notice that Jorel had grown to trust the others more as well. He was currently having a nap on Viral’s back, and Jordon kept a hand on Jorel’s back so he wouldn’t fall off. Dylan recalled a time months ago when Jorel would refuse to sleep if Dylan wasn’t present to keep him safe while he napped. Now, however, he trusted the rest of them to have his back.

Dylan shot a glance over to Saint. Aron and Nine had hitched a ride with Matt and Claire. The two got along pretty well almost as soon as they met. Matt seemed to like having a passenger to talk to while he flew.

A smile made its way onto Dylan’s face. The seven of them had been working together for about four months now, travelling all over Sunset Island and introducing the various cities and towns to the concept of being companions with dragons. Many times, they were turned away, but others had begrudgingly agreed to at least listen.

The first town they convinced not to kill dragons, the same one they had saved from Jeffrey’s undead army, had quickly grown to enjoy the company of dragons. Of course, there were many people who were overwhelmed with guilt for killing or hunting the creatures, but Jordon helped take care of that. He was surprisingly good at being a sort of therapist for ex-executioners.

In fact, that became his official role in the town, and soon, in the many other towns they visited. The first town had assigned him a title as “Human Rehabilitation Officer”. He helped executioners and hunters see why dragons didn’t deserve to be killed, and he offered advice for those who were willing to change their ways. He was remarkably good at his job.

After that, the town had come up with roles for almost all of them. Matt was the “Historical Advisor”, and Dylan took that to mean he was basically a teacher. He told people about the history of Angeles and the other islands that existed in the realm, so they could understand why the big colonization from a thousand years ago was a bad thing for the dragons that already lived there. Jorel had been given the job of “Advocate for the Rights of Dragons”. He was in charge of helping towns write new laws to ban dragon abuse, and while he was at it, he was pushing towards banning abuse towards other animals, too. Danny was the “Director of Communication”, meaning he translated dragon speak for people who couldn’t understand it, and worked closely with Jorel to help the humans understand what the dragons wanted and why they deserved some form of legal protection. Aron had been the designated as the “Representative for Hatchling Safety”. He made sure any orphaned baby dragons had good human companions to care for them, and he took care of the ones that still hadn’t been adopted.

George, of course, was the “Ambassador for Dragon Relations”, so he rushed around Sunset, making sure things were going well and no one was breaking any of Jorel’s new laws. He was the first to speak to any new towns that hadn’t yet been introduced to the concept of befriending dragons, and if anything involving dragons needed advisement, he was the person to go to. As for Dylan, he had been quite surprised when George had asked him to fill one role that the town had proposed they have.

“You want me to be Secretary for Dragon Relations?” he had asked incredulously as he helped Aron wrangle some orphaned hatchlings they’d found in the wild.

George had shrugged. “All the other roles are filled, and I need a lot of help. I’m already late for a meeting, so give it some thought and get back to me, okay?”

So, Dylan had more or less become George’s second-in-command. All the jobs George didn’t have time to do or needed help with, Dylan was there to help things run smoothly.

With all seven of them doing their jobs, things on Sunset Island had made a drastic improvement. Almost all dragon executions in all the towns had stopped, and dozens of people were bonding with dragons every day. Everyone seemed to adjust well to this new change.

All except for Jeffrey.

He refused to cooperate with anyone, as did Shade. While Jeff was stuck in the jailhouse and Shade was more or less imprisoned in the field outside the town, he was given updates on the changes occurring on Sunset Island, and it only seemed to anger him. He hated that he’d been wrong about the people on Sunset, and it just made him bitter. Every time one of the seven heroes went to visit him, he pleaded for them to release him and allow him and Shade to fly far away and find a Keep somewhere no one would find them. His requests were constantly denied. They had to keep Jeffrey and Shade in Angeles to keep an eye on them and make sure they didn’t try to take over the realm again. Besides, Angeles needed three Great Dragons. If they went somewhere else in the world, the magical balance of Angeles would tip, and it could spell disaster for the whole realm.

That, and Jordon continuously told the others that Jeff was ridden with guilt for the dragons he’d hurt, and that running away from his problems wasn’t going to help anyone. The others trusted Jordon’s observation; he of all people would know what it was like to regret their past.

George especially wanted to help Jeff, but it was annoying for him to even try. Every time Jeff saw George, Jeff wouldn’t tell him anything productive. He kept pushing George away—literally and figuratively. He shoved George away every time he got close. He threw insult after insult at him, and George lost count of the amount of times Jeff brought up George and Monarch’s massacre from a thousand years ago. Every time, George tried to defend himself by telling Jeff they were only trying to protect their Keep, but after so many jabs with the same past mistake, George was starting to think Jeff was right. George and Monarch had killed everyone who came to attack their Keep, even as the people were running away. There had to have been at least a million people they killed. That was a fourth of the entire current population of Angeles.

As George stared ahead at Shade and Jeff as they flew through the air, he figured he’d have to have a counseling session with Jordon later. If he could find the time, that is. They were only given a few days at a time to go out and find Jeff a Keep. If they were gone for much longer, Angeles and its newfound acceptance of dragons could completely fall apart.

Danny pulled his map out of his bag and gave it a once-over. “We’ve pretty much reached the edge of Angeles,” he announced. “I don’t think anything is really out here.”

Dylan sighed. “Well, we’ve gone everywhere else. No one wants these two.”

George grimaced. He didn’t want to go back to Sunset with Jeff and Shade still without a Keep. “Where should we go, then?”

Danny put his map away and stared out at the sea below them. “I don’t know. Do you think they could make a Keep underwater?”

“Monarch could,” George said. “But Shade’s a snow dragon, not a water dragon.” He heaved a sigh. “Monarch? Got any ideas?”

 _I’m just as clueless as you_ , Monarch’s voice rumbled. _Don’t worry, George. We’ll figure it out somehow._

“I sure hope so,” George muttered.

“HEY!” Jeffrey’s voice shouted far ahead of them. “BLONDIE! WHAT’S THAT PLACE OVER THERE?”

Danny furrowed his brow. “The hell is he talking about?”

Shade slowed to a stop, and George spotted Jeffrey’s arm waving in the direction to their left. “WHERE’S THAT ON YOUR MAP?” he yelled.

Saint, Monarch, and Viral stopped next to Shade. “What are you talking about?” George asked once they were in speaking range.

Jeff lifted his goggles and shot a glare at George. “Not talking to you.” He pointed to Danny. “You, Blondie.” He turned Shade and pointed in the distance. “What the fuck is that?”

Danny squinted. “What...?” His eyes widened. “Is that... an island?” He brought out his map again. Lion sniffed at it over his shoulder as he scanned the paper. “We’re supposed to be miles away from any land. Where the fuck...?”

George peered into the distance where Jeff was pointing. He was unsure of what they were talking about, but then he saw it—just visible on the horizon was land.

“What is that?” Aron asked. He had walked up right next to Matt and was looking over Matt’s shoulder at the island in the distance.

“I didn’t think there was anything out here,” Jordon said. He gently nudged Jorel’s back to wake him up.

Danny frantically flipped through his book. “There shouldn’t be,” he whispered. “This is supposed to be water. There’s not supposed to be anything at the edge of Angeles. How in the hell did the mapmakers miss this? It’s right the fuck here! Is this just... uncharted land? Does anyone live there?”

George exchanged a glance with Matt. If there was no one there, and Jeff and Shade liked the place, it would be a perfect Keep. It would definitely get Jeffrey out of their hair.

“I think we should find out,” Matt said.

Saint zipped towards the island, and Monarch followed. Jeff shot a glance at Viral. Jordon waved for them to go first. He wasn’t going to let them stay at the back, because they could easily fly away to another island. Those two were still technically serving a prison sentence.

Jeff sighed and spurred Shade forward. Viral brought up the rear of the group.

Matt craned his neck to see the island better. “It looks pretty big. Maybe... the size of the biggest island of the Swan’s Nest? A bit smaller?”

“Looks like it,” Aron agreed. He scratched Nine on the head as they flew closer. “I wonder if anyone lives there.”

They began to descend as they neared the island. A bad feeling settled in Jorel’s stomach when the shoreline came into view. He rested a hand on one of the throwing axes at his belt.

They settled on the sand, each of them glancing about warily for any sign of danger. In front of them, the beach morphed into a large forest that stretched along the horizon. In the distance, cliffs and mountains stuck up out of the ground at strange angles. Jorel spotted a cluster of razor-sharp pointed rocks near the horizon. The sight of them sent a shiver up his spine, but he couldn’t explain why.

Danny scanned the land. He pointed. “Pretty sure there are people.”

Everyone followed his gaze. A few small plumes of smoke rose out of the forest, as if some people had set up campfires within the trees.

“Let’s hope they’re okay with visitors,” Jordon muttered.

Something rustled in the trees in front of them. All four dragons skittered back. A growl rumbled in Shade’s throat.

A person stepped out of the foliage and onto the sand, a fishing net thrown over her shoulder. She stared up at the dragons with wonder. “Oh my goodness,” she whispered.

“Sorry to interrupt your fishing!” George said. He stood up, and Monarch lowered his head to let George onto the sand. He hopped off Monarch’s snout and landed on the beach. “We don’t mean to intrude. If you want us to leave...”

He faltered, and it took Dylan a moment to notice why. Hanging from a cord on the woman’s neck was something that looked all too familiar. It was a crystal that shone bright enough to absorb all the light around it. Shadows circled the woman’s neck, and now that he noticed that, he saw that her entire body was enveloped in darkness. Shadowy mist spilled from her shoulders and gathered around her feet. Her navy blue skirts seemed to dissolve into mist at the hem. Her form rippled with darkness as she hefted her fishing net.

She must have noticed everyone staring, because she looked down at her necklace. “Are... you familiar with this?” she asked, holding up the cord.

Dylan swallowed. “A little.”

“You’ve been to the No-Way-Out Caves in the Underground?” George asked her.

The woman smiled. “Oh, no. I haven’t. But we know where all of our relics come from.” She gave a wistful sigh. “I’d love to travel there someday.” She scanned the eight of them. “I sense a great power from most of you. Are you from here? Did you venture out and complete your trials?”

George blinked. “Uh, no, we’re not from this place. We’re from Sunset Island.”

She gasped. “You’re from the land of dragon-haters?” She looked at their dragons. “And yet you’re companions. How strange.” She studied George and her eyes lit up. “You! You’re him! The legend!” She shook her head in disbelief. “You all must be heroes, then. Welcome to our island! Everyone is going to be thrilled you came to visit! You can help save us!”

“Save you?” George asked. “From what?”

The woman turned and rushed back into the forest. “I can explain everything back in the city! Please, follow me!”

All eight of them stayed where they were, staring at the spot the lady had been standing with wide eyes. “Well, she’s nuts,” Jeffrey said finally.

“Sounds like it,” Dylan muttered. However, he slid off Monarch’s back, Dove and Grenade right behind him. “Let’s go see why she’s got shadow powers.”


	14. Already Dead

**Present Day**

Arina’s eyes widened a little when Jorel said her name. “I was waiting how long it would take you to recognize me, Relly.”

Jorel grimaced. “Don’t call me that.” Normally, he would be okay with the nickname. Arina had been almost like a little sister to him for so many years. Now, however... there was something different about her. It set him on edge.

Arina smirked. “Oh, come on, Jorel. Haven’t you missed me?” Her dragon scampered onto her shoulders. Something about the look in her eyes was unsettling. He took a step back.

“A little, yeah,” he admitted. “I mean... we used to be friends.”

Arina hummed. “We certainly were friends, weren’t we? How times change.”

“Arina,” Dylan spoke up, “what are you here for? Why did your dragon lead us here?”

She scratched her dragon behind the horns. It purred, and lightning jumped from its eyes to Arina’s armor. “I wanted to talk. To you specifically, Dylan.” She looked him dead in the eye. “I remember when my brother first formed that band of yours. Before then, you were so kind to me. You treated me like a friend. Then after you joined that shitty MySpace band of his, things changed.” She narrowed her eyes. “The second you turned eighteen, you started avoiding me. You stayed away from me as much as you could. I always wondered why that was.” She grinned. “But now I know.” She tilted her spear in his direction. “You remembered. And you’re afraid of me.”

Dylan avoided her gaze. He said nothing.

Now that Arina mentioned it, Jorel recalled that Dylan never liked spending time around Arina after they formed Hollywood Undead. Jorel had always chalked it up to Dylan thinking he was too cool to be hanging out with Aron’s little sister, but he had to admit that there had always been some sort of tense fear in Dylan’s eyes whenever Arina walked into a room. Dylan always left when she showed up, and whenever Aron asked him if he wanted to hang out, Dylan always asked if Arina was going to be there before he agreed.

Arina tapped her fingernails on the shaft of her spear. “I figured it out a couple months ago. I went to visit that annoying Philips, but he was already gone. I figured he must have come here. He put his Keep right over my old prison, after all. However, I didn’t want to come here right away. I wanted to see Aron first, but he wouldn’t answer my texts and I couldn’t find his address anywhere. On top of that, I needed to get my family away from Los Angeles. I got them some plane tickets to New York, convinced them to leave, and waited until they flew away before I decided to cause a little bit of destruction.”

Dylan tightened his grip on the hilts of his daggers. “You did that to Los Angeles?”

Arina shrugged. “Maybe. I just wanted to see what I could do after all these centuries.” A chuckle left her lips. “My first time trying to control those soldiers went remarkably well, don’t you think?”

“You put everyone in danger just trying to summon the undead soldiers?”

“Why wouldn’t I?” She made an exaggerated pout. “Aww, is someone worried about his family?”

Dylan clenched his jaw, a fiery anger in his eyes, but he said nothing. Jorel knew that Dylan was never one to hold his tongue when he obviously had something to say. What was it about Arina that made him shut up like this?

Arina cocked her head to the side. “Don’t wanna speak? What, are you scared I’ll attack you? Relax, Dilly-Dally. I’m just here to have a civil conversation.” The ground cracked at her feet. A small pointed black rock stuck out of the stone.

Dylan eyed the rock nervously. Dove whined and skittered in place. Grenade took a step back.

Arina smirked. “Don’t worry, Alvarez.” Her grin dipped downward into a scowl. “I’m not doing this without Aron. As soon as he finds out what he is, he’s going to come find me.”

“I doubt that,” Dylan growled, but there was a tone of uncertainty in his voice.

Arina pushed off the brazier she was leaning on and stood in front of Dylan, grip tight on her spear. “You’ll see.” Her dragon scampered across her shoulders and twisted around the shaft of her spear. “It’s been nice catching up, but I think it’s time for you to leave.”

A huge obsidian spike shot out of the ground in front of him, its point nearly piercing through his face. He scrambled backwards as two more rocks burst out of the floor just where he’d been standing.

“Arina, you don’t want to do this!” he shouted.

Arina only laughed. “You have no idea what I want, Dylan!”

Another sharp rock exploded through the floor. “Is she doing that?” Danny squeaked, gripping his crossbow in a death grip.

Dylan whirled around and sprinted towards the exit of the cave as black rocks burst from the ground after him. He grabbed Jorel’s cloak and yanked him towards the exit. “Run!”

Danny and their dragons rushed after the two. Jorel could have sworn he heard Arina laughing as the cave trembled. Spikes shot out of the walls, the floor, the ceiling—everywhere. Danny stumbled, and Lion grabbed his sleeve in her mouth and pulled him to his feet before he could get impaled by a rock.

Jorel scrambled for his phone. He quickly turned on the flashlight so they could see where they were going. A rock snagged the end of his cloak, but he ripped it away. His heart thrummed like a bass drum as the rocks chased them through the shaking tunnel. Tiger whimpered from under his cloak.

Danny yelped as a rock shot out of the wall and almost stabbed his face. “Why is she trying to kill us?”

“No time for questions!” Dylan shouted. He ducked just before a rock could impale his head. He frantically searched for an exit, or another tunnel they could go into that she wouldn’t be able to reach them in. Nothing presented itself.

A pin prick of light appeared far ahead of them. Dylan’s chest swelled with hope. He quickened his pace as they sprinted for the exit. Even if she could reach them outside the cave, which she undoubtedly could, avoiding those rocks would be much easier out in the open.

They burst out of the cave, Jorel almost stumbling over his feet as they hit the grass. Dylan whirled around to see if the rocks were still chasing them. A dozen of them had exploded through the ground just inside the cave and filled up the exit, closing up the tunnel behind them.

Danny collapsed to the ground, breathing heavily. He looked up at Saint, Monarch, Shade, and Viral, who were all chilling out in the field nearby. “What the fuck was that?”

Jorel gripped his spear tightly. Tiger curled around his shoulders and nudged his face with her snout as he processed what had just happened.

“Why the hell didn’t you tell us it was Arina?” he whispered.

Dylan paced back and forth as he shot a text to the others. He didn’t respond. Dove and Grenade trotted along behind him, whining with concern.

Jorel felt a pang of annoyance. “Dylan,” he repeated. “Why the hell didn’t you tell us?”

Dylan looked up. “Aron would lose his shit if he knew.”

“You could have told me!” Jorel burst. “Arina was a sister to me for my entire childhood, and you just decided not to tell me she was... like _this?”_

“I didn’t have much of a choice!” Dylan snapped. “If I told you, you would tell Aron, and then he’d realize he has the same powers as her, and then we’d all be fucked!”

“Guys!” Danny stepped between them, followed closely by Lion. “Chill out. Dylan, it would have been nice to know, but Jorel, you have to understand that there are some things they just have to keep from us for our own safety. We don’t understand all of this. Dylan and George do. They’re just doing what they need to.”

Jorel ignored him. “How do you think Aron’s going to feel when he finds out you know his sister is trying to destroy Los Angeles?” he said, narrowed eyes still fixed on Dylan.

“We’ll cross that bridge when we get to it,” Danny said before Dylan could respond. “Neither of you need to fight over this.”

Dylan nodded. Danny was right. They didn’t need to argue.

He couldn’t help but notice, however, that Jorel didn’t stop glaring at Dylan after Danny stepped away. He silently prayed that Jorel wouldn’t tell Aron, but he didn’t know if Jorel would spill any details in his anger. Dylan understood why Jorel was angry, and that was the part that got to him the most. He wanted more than anything to tell the others about everything they’d gone through together and everything that had happened in their past, but he couldn’t. Not without asking George first.

Footsteps echoed off the walls of the cave in the middle of the other two. Jeff, Matt, and Claire burst out of the tunnel. “Where is she?” Jeff shouted. He held an ice grenade in one hand and his dagger in the other.

Dylan pointed to the cave they had just escaped from with his own dagger. “She was in there. Almost fucking killed us.”

“Shit!” Jeff sheathed his blade with a frustrated huff. “I was hoping I could get her.”

Matt clapped him on the shoulder. “I’m sure we’ll have plenty more chances. Don’t worry.”

Jeff grumbled under his breath, tossing his grenade into the air and catching it in his opposite hand. “Yeah, whatever.” He muttered a curse. “We need to find her.”

“And we will,” Dylan assured him. “We just have to be patient, come up with a strategy... she’s gonna be really hard to beat.”

“Especially considering _someone_ isn’t going to like fighting her,” Jorel grumbled.

Dylan shot him a glare. Jorel glared back.

George ran out from the tunnel on the right, sword in hand. “Is everyone okay?” Jordon and Aron were right on his heels.

“We’re fine,” Dylan said. He gestured to the cave plugged up by pointed rocks. “We found her. She almost killed us.”

“Fuck.” George sheathed his sword. “No one got hurt, though?”

“We’re all okay,” Danny said. He looked at the rocks. “I think we’d better come up with a plan.”

“We should probably go back to my Keep,” Jeff said. “I doubt she’ll go there again, unless she decides it’s time for her to kill me. We can use it as sort of a home base.”

“Sounds good.” George shouldered his shield. “Saddle up.”

He started towards Monarch. Dylan ignored Jorel’s persistent glaring and followed with Dove and Grenade. Danny elbowed Jorel in the side, silently telling him to chill out before he and Lion jogged after Dylan. Jeff and Matt went their separate ways to board their dragons. Jordon couldn’t help but scowl at Aron before he made his way towards Viral. Aron heaved a frustrated sigh as he hopped on Nine’s back.

* * *

Jeff lowered his goggles over his eyes. “Okay. While Dylan and George are strategizing upstairs, I’m gonna be your babysitter.”

Danny raised an eyebrow. “I’m pretty sure they specifically stated that I would be your babysitter—”

“Daniel, please,” Jeff said. “I know you like being responsible. But you have to accept that in this situation, I am simply more suited to making sure none of you die.”

Matt glanced around Jeff’s workshop. “What around here could kill us?”

“Literally everything!” Jeff exclaimed excitedly. He whirled around, his coat swishing behind him. “I’ve got targets if anyone wants to do some shooting practice! Just try not to touch anything dangerous!”

Matt raised an eyebrow as Jeff started picking up tools and gadgets off the ground. George and Dylan had decided to have a discussion in the Keep and sent the rest of them into Jeff’s workshop to chill out and talk amongst themselves. Danny had been right; George had designated him the babysitter. However, Jeff seemed to want to be in charge, so Matt wasn’t sure how that would play out. Danny would probably either haul out his mom voice and lecture Jeff, or just step down and let Jeff cause his chaos. It was hard to tell.

The six of them dispersed. Jordon picked up a device off a table and examined it, and Danny stayed close by him to make sure the thing wouldn’t accidentally chop Jordon’s head off or anything. Aron stood close to the staircase, hands clasped awkwardly behind his back as he rocked back and forth on his feet. Jorel leaned against a table, scratching Tiger behind her horns as he shot a couple of concerned glances towards the doors at the other end of the cave.

Jeff looked up at the others as he dumped a bunch of his tools on a mostly empty tabletop. “Yo Matt, you should probably do some target practice if you’re bored. I mean, yeah, you landed a shot on me earlier, but that was a lucky shot. Hardly grazed me.” He raised his arm to show a small rip in the fabric of his jacket. A little bit of blood soaked the loose threads around the rip. “You’re kind of shitty at archery now. That might get dangerous in a battle situation. You could die, and we can’t have that. I’d have to take your place as a hero, and I would suck at it.”

Matt processed Jeff’s words. Even though he was so different now, it seemed his tendency to express concern and advice through harsh criticism and insults hadn’t changed at all.

Matt shrugged. “I mean, if you got targets, sure thing. I might as well.”

“Great!” Jeff pointed to the wall, where a small bulletin board hung with a target painted on it. It was already riddled with holes. “I’ve already done some practice of my own. Don’t feel bad if you miss.”

Matt rolled his eyes at Jeff’s last comment, but he drew his bow and nocked an arrow. He had never done any archery before in this life, but his hands just seemed to know what to do. He drew the bow back and aimed for the target.

A sharp pain shot through his right index finger as he let go of the arrow. It thudded into the target, just outside the red lines Jeff had painted on it. He lowered his bow to look at his hand. A long scratch lined the side of his finger, leading up from the base of his thumb and stopping at the last knuckle. A thin line of blood trailed through the middle of it.

He ignored it and nocked another arrow. He really should keep practicing if he wanted to be any help at all during a fight.

He let go of the arrow and grunted in pain as blood bloomed from the scratch on his right finger. It dripped down his hand, and he grimaced. Why the hell was he getting cut?

“Oh shit, I forgot!” Jeff’s voice yelled. Matt looked up to see Jeff rushing towards him, pulling a roll of bandages out of his pocket. He stopped in front of Matt and gently took his hand to examine the cut.

“I forgot to remind you that your bow doesn’t have anything to rest the arrow on,” Jeff said, swiftly unwrapping some bandages from the roll.

Matt furrowed his brow. “What does that have to do with my bleeding finger?”

“The arrow has to rest on your hand,” Jeff said as he whirled the bandages around Matt’s finger. “The fletching is gonna slice your finger if you don’t have a hand guard. You almost never used one back then, stubborn bastard. It’s a wonder that scar didn’t transfer over to this life. It never healed.” He pinned the bandage in place and shoved the roll into his pocket before he reached into his other one. “Hang on.” He pulled something out of his pocket. “I made you these. I knew you would need them at some point.”

Matt blinked at the long gloves in Jeff’s hand. Jeffrey, actually making something for someone simply because he thought they might need it and not for his own gain? It was unheard of.

“Thank you,” he said, utterly flabbergasted.

“I’ll put them on you,” Jeff offered. “It’s kind of a two-person job anyway.”

Matt shouldered his bow and held out his arms. Jeff slid both of the leather gloves over Matt’s arms and began to lace them up. The right glove covered only two fingers, his index and his thumb, and both were cut off at the second knuckle. The left glove wasn’t really a glove, more of an arm guard, as it ended at the wrist.

Jeff finished lacing them up and stood back. “They fit okay?”

Matt nodded, turning his arms over to examine the leather guards. “Yeah, they fit perfect. Thanks, man. This is... really unexpected. Thank you.”

Jeff clapped Matt on the shoulder with a smile. “No prob, man.”

“Hey!” Jordon’s voice shouted from across the room. “You guys look pretty gay over there!”

“Fuck off, Jord!” Matt yelled back.

As Matt drew his bow and nocked another arrow, Danny elbowed Jordon in the side. “Dude, stop with the gay jokes. He’s probably tired of it.”

“I haven’t called him gay in years!” Jordon protested. “I need to make up for the time I missed.”

Danny rolled his eyes, but he snorted. “Whatever. If he decks you, don’t come crying to me.”

Jordon fiddled with a small device he’d taken off the table he was currently sitting on. “I wonder what’s on Jorel’s mind,” he muttered. “He looks frustrated.”

Danny shrugged. He didn’t want to tell Jordon about who they had seen in the caves. Not when Dylan advised them not to say anything. “I think he’s just worried about how we’re going to be able to defeat this evil lady.”

Jordon tapped his fingers on the table. “Dylan texted us and said you guys found her. You wanna tell me who she is, or...?”

“No,” Danny answered immediately. “I shouldn’t. If I tell you, I feel like I have to tell the others, and that’s not going to go over well. Besides, Dylan said I shouldn’t.”

Jordon narrowed his eyes at Jorel. “You think Jay would tell me?”

“Don’t ask,” Danny insisted. “Please. Jordon, just let it be. George and Dylan know best in this situation.”

“You’re trusting them too much,” Jordon mumbled.

“Why wouldn’t I trust them?”

Jordon shrugged. “I don’t know, man. Doesn’t this whole thing just seem weird to you? Wouldn’t it be better if they just told us?” He sighed. “I don’t like it when my two best homies feel like they gotta keep things from me,” he whispered.

Danny nodded in agreement. It was strange, the fact that George and Dylan had to hide this from their close friends. He understood why Jordon was frustrated about it. They had been friends for so many years. There were no secrets between them.

“They’ll tell us everything eventually, I’m sure,’” Danny said. “Let’s just try not to worry about it until they do. They trust us, man. They just have to keep this to themselves.”

“But it sucks,” Jordon said.

“It does,” Danny agreed. “But I’m sure we’ll be able to remember everything eventually. We just have to be patient.”

“I don’t like being patient,” Jordon mumbled.

Danny looked back and forth between Jorel and Aron. “Me neither.”

* * *

“This is ridiculous.”

George sighed as Dylan paced back and forth in front of him, spinning his daggers in his hands. Dove and Grenade were both chilling with the rest of the dragons, playfully snapping at each other as they scampered around the Keep. Even Shade had decided to lie down closer to the rest of them. George wasn’t sure whether Shade was just trying to establish dominance in his home territory or trying to be more friendly with the other dragons, but either way, George was glad that Shade was trying to socialize at least a little bit.

“They’re going to find out,” Dylan continued, “one way or another. It’s fucking stupid that we don’t just tell them everything.”

“And let Aron remember about his powers and end up possibly destroying the world?” George protested. “You know why we can’t just tell them.”

“Jorel got pissed at me because I didn’t tell him Arina was the person we were worried about,” Dylan said. “I don’t want him to be mad at me. I don’t want any of them to be mad at me when they finally figure it out. Once Aron finds out, he’s gonna be mad at us for keeping it from him, and we’re going to have to deal with him _and_ his sister. Do you want that?”

“No, but—”

“And if they remember everything right in the middle of a battle, they won’t be able to defend themselves. It’s better to bring back their memories now, help them through it, and go from there. The longer we keep things from them, the more mad they might be when they finally figure things out, and the harder it might hit them when they remember. We should let them know now, before Arina has the chance to strike, so they can have at least day or two to process everything and settle into their memories. We can defend them while they’re processing things.”

George sighed. “I’m sure they’ll be fine—”

“How long ago did you remember?”

George blinked. He hadn’t been expecting that question. “When I was sixteen. Why?”

“You remember how it felt?”

George shrugged. “Kind of... I mean, it was jarring, and I was a bit upset, but I got over it quickly.”

“That’s because you were the original hero,” Dylan pointed out. “You’re the one who chose the rest of us. You’re used to being ripped out of time and losing centuries of your life. You and Monarch hibernated for this _exact_ amount of time that we’ve been dead for. It’s been one thousand years. You didn’t give a shit because this has happened to you before. It’s different for the rest of us.”

George sighed. “Yeah, I know, Danny could go into a traumatic episode or Jordon could want to jump off a cliff, but it’s not like that’ll be permanent. They’ll get over it. We really should be worrying about Aron and keeping this from _him_. We can keep going the way we are now, and the rest of them be fine when they figure it out. We don’t need to tell them now. They might need a few hours to process things—”

“They need days, George,” Dylan snapped. “ _Days._ Maybe a week. You have no idea how hard it was for me to remember all of this when I was eighteen. For months after I remembered, I woke up every day expecting to be in my underground tunnel with Grenade, knowing my parents had been killed by the village I lived in. Every morning, I was shocked to see that my mom was alive. I was scared and I didn’t know who I was. And it took me a few years, but when I finally figured out that you remembered everything, I was _pissed_. I was so fucking mad that you didn’t bother to tell me. I kept dropping hints but you didn’t bother to let me know. You don’t know how many times I wanted to punch you for the next few years. I finally dropped that grudge after ‘Day of the Dead’.” He took a deep breath. “What I’m trying to say, is that it’s going to take them a hell of a lot longer to adjust than it took you, and their first feeling is going to be anger. If we want to avoid that anger altogether, we should just tell them everything right now and give them time to adjust. Hell, Arina’s probably suffering more than any of us right now. She only remembered about the same time as Jeff. She’s probably reliving all the trauma she was put through, and if all of us remember about that, including Aron, we might be able to get through to her. We could convince her to step down. We can end this without violence.”

George stared at Dylan, processing his words. “I... I didn’t know this was difficult for you.”

“Of course it’s difficult for me!” Dylan exploded. Lion and Tiger glanced at him from where they were lying on the ground. “It’s been fifteen years since I figured this shit out, and I...” He ran a hand through his hair. “I still don’t really know who I am. I don’t know what I’m doing here. Half of me wants to go right back to L.A. and stay with my family, and half of me wants to follow you as a hero and be your right hand man. I don’t even know what to do.” He sighed. “I’m just worried that Aron’s going to hold that same kind of grudge for you that I did. I’m worried Jorel’s gonna spend the next few years resisting the urge to punch me in the face. I don’t want them to live the same way I did since 2005. I want them to know.”

George considered Dylan’s words. He’d never even thought about how hard it might have been for Dylan to remember all the shit he’d gone through in their past. Dylan was right—George was used to being yanked out of time and having to adjust to life a thousand years in the future. The others weren’t.

“You have a point,” George admitted. “Maybe telling them everything would be best.”

Dylan blinked. “Really?”

George shrugged. “Yeah. I mean, maybe we can fix this without violence. If Aron remembers everything, maybe he can get through to her.”

Dylan stared at him. “I... didn’t expect you to actually listen.”

“We can go tell them everything now, if you want,” George offered. “I know I don’t always listen to you, but you’re right.”

Dylan nodded slowly. “Okay. Yeah.” A smile made its way onto his face. “Alright. Then... I guess... I guess we should go tell them.”

“Uh, guys?”

They both looked towards the stairs below them. Danny stood there with a concerned grimace.

“What is it?” Dylan asked.

“Jeff said he senses something on the island with his weird Emperor dragon rider abilities, but he’s kinda freaking out about it,” Danny said. “He says we shouldn’t go anywhere or do anything right now because the place he says he sensed the thing in is dangerous and he doesn’t wanna go there.”

“What place is it?” George asked.

Danny shrugged. “He didn’t say.”

George and Dylan exchanged a concerned glance. They both started down the stairs, and Danny followed close behind.

“What’s wrong?” George demanded as soon as he set foot in Jeff’s workshop.

Jeff looked up from his bulletin board, his eyes wide. “She’s in her stronghold.”

George inhaled sharply. That was not a place they wanted to return to.

“Should we go there?” Dylan whispered.

Jeff threw his arms in the air. “I don’t know! You tell me! You guys are the ones in charge here!”

George hesitated. “Well... do you think you’re going to lose her trail soon, or—”

“I’m trying to hold onto it,” Jeff interrupted. “I’m really doing my fucking best here. I’m going to lose it any second, and on top of that—” he pointed to his bulletin board “—there’s another surge of power that’s coming soon, so I hope you two are ready to get your magic back again. And chances are, the one of us that has the same powers as her is going to get his back pretty fuckin’ soon, too. We can totally use this to fight her, or we can stay here and ride it out.”

Dylan sighed. “I think if we’re going to fight her, now is as good a time as any.”

“What about ending this peacefully?” George asked.

Dylan shook his head. “I don’t fucking know, man. I don’t know. I thought I had an idea, and I thought we could end this without violence, but now she’s in the stronghold and we’re gonna get our powers back, and...” He put his face in his hands. “I don’t fucking know,” he mumbled. “Just tell me what to do. I don’t know how to fix this.”

Jordon walked up to Dylan and put a hand on his shoulder. “It’s okay, homie. We’ll figure things out.”

George shot Dylan a worried gaze. This whole situation must have been stressing him out more than George had originally anticipated.

“I guess we’ll go after her, then,” George decided. “Let’s go.”


	15. Trouble

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> i HATE not doing two updates a week but i have to limit my updates so i can actually catch up on things. sorry for the short chapter btw. this one's a little uneventful but the next one will be more exciting

Asia leaned on the windowsill and stared out at the street. She hadn’t seen a single person outside, and she understood why. No one wanted to be out there with the possibility of those undead soldiers coming back.

Reese and her kids were sitting in the living room, and they must have raided George’s bookshelves, because the three Murillos were surrounded by a dozen books, some stacked on the coffee table and others tossed on the couch cushions. Scarlett’s nose was buried in a book, and Reese bounced Roman on her lap as she scanned the pages of a long novel. Randi was busy keeping an eye on her two kids, along with her dog and the rest of the pets the girls had brought over. A bunch of Vanessa’s cats kept scratching at Anna’s dog, and Asia’s dogs seemed to think that Jack and James smelled very interesting. Anna was helping Randi keep the dogs away from the cats and kids as best she could. All of them found themselves being extremely glad that they didn’t have huge families. They couldn’t control all of these kids and animals even though there were five of them.

As for Vanessa, she was being less than helpful. Sure, she was keeping Ava occupied by painting her nails and braiding her hair, but Ava was not the problem here. She could behave herself. The dogs and cats in the house could not.

Asia leaned down and picked up Tiger before he could bolt across the room towards Holly. “When do you think they’ll be back?” she asked as she deposited the cat on Vanessa’s lap.

“No idea,” Randi mumbled. She grabbed Mr. Bones’ collar and pulled him away from Asia’s cat.

Anna said nothing as she picked up Holly and held her out of reach of Randi’s dog. She’d hardly said a word ever since she showed up, so none of the others knew quite what she was thinking. She was clearly troubled by something, but it was a mystery as to what. Maybe she was just worried about Dylan? She was pregnant, after all. She might just be afraid of the possibility of her kid having to grow up without a father. Or maybe she was afraid of dying herself. Who knew?

Asia struggled to hold onto Chloe as she took hold of Randi’s dog’s collar. “V, Reese, we could use some help here,” she grumbled.

“Hm?” Reese looked up from her novel. “Oh, right. Sorry.” She set Roman on the couch and placed her book next to him. She picked up two of Vanessa’s cats in her arms.

“But Ava’s nails aren’t done,” Vanessa protested weakly.

Asia raised an eyebrow, and Vanessa sighed. “Fine.” She set down her bottle of nail polish and started rounding up her cats. “Come on, babies,” she cooed as she scooped up a grumpy feline. “Come to mommy.”

Anna heaved a light sigh as she tugged Mr. Bones away from Reese. “Do you guys think they’ll be back?” she whispered.

Everyone fell silent. Those were the first words she had said in about two hours.

“They’ll be fine,” Asia said. Something in her gut told her that this wasn’t the first time George and the others had dealt with this kind of issue. “They’re going to be okay.”

Anna nodded slowly. She sat down on the couch, Holly in her arms and Mr. Bones sitting at her feet. “Do you guys know what’s going on?”

Randi shook her head. “No clue.”

Anna bit her lip. “I think I have something to tell you guys.”

* * *

Arina straightened her armor in the mirror as her dragon scampered around her feet. She was so glad to be back in her old palace. She could, of course, block Jeffrey Phillips from sensing her in his territory, but she had lifted that magical shield just a little. Since he now knew she was here, he would lead the other heroes, including Aron, right to her. She just had to give her armor a quick polish and pin up her hair so it wouldn’t fall in her face in the battle she might have with them later.

She was still wondering how to go about killing the Emperor. She didn’t want to do anything without Aron, and she wondered if she even could get rid of the Emperor without him. She would probably need the extra power.

She looked down at her dragon. “Eleven? What do you think?”

Eleven looked up, his eyes sparking with electricity. He squeaked and nudged her leg.

She turned back to the mirror. She wasn’t quite sure what to do first. Her ultimate goal was to get revenge on everyone who had done her wrong in her past life, and that meant everyone in Los Angeles would have to go. After Angeles fell, the heroes must have somehow managed to make it so everyone would be reincarnated in L.A. a thousand years in the future, because she had recognized so many faces in L.A. from the Old Empire. She could start with the destruction of L.A., but the Emperor and that annoying rider of his had sided with the heroes. With all three Great Dragons, they could easily stand in her way. She might need to kill the Emperor first. But she might not be able to do that without Aron, but he didn’t remember anything as far as she knew, which meant his biggest goal at the moment was getting on good terms with that old, shitty band who abandoned him. He might not even listen to her if she tried to convince him to join her. That was disappointing to think about. He was her brother! Why on earth would he side with those lunatics who turned their backs on him instead of her?

Eleven skittered up her leg and curled around her shoulders as she tapped her foot on the ground, considering her options. The death of Jeffrey and the Emperor might just make the heroes angry and harder to fight. Besides, it’s not like the Emperor was the strongest of the Great Dragons. He was much weaker than the other two, so getting rid of him wouldn’t benefit her too much. She wanted to get rid of a more powerful part of the team to lower the group’s overall strength. The thought crossed her mind that maybe she should go after the Imperial, but she dismissed that almost immediately. Matthew Busek and his two dragons were much too dangerous to get rid of on her own. She would need an entire army to even _think_ about fighting them.

She stopped tapping her foot when an idea popped into her mind. It was perfect. It would lower the heroes’ morale, get rid of a major player in the game, and make it much easier to destroy Los Angeles without them in the picture.

She grinned and looked at Eleven. He chirped in excitement, as if he knew exactly what she was thinking.

She would kill the Guardian and his rider.


	16. Empire

“Is that where we’re headed?”

Dylan stared at the structure far ahead of them as he processed Jorel’s question. “Unfortunately.” Grenade nudged his hand and whimpered. He absently scratched Grenade behind the horns.

“It’s huge,” Jorel muttered. “And kinda scary.”

Dylan couldn’t disagree. The obsidian black castle in the distance stretched high above the ground, its black spires jabbing the clouds in haphazard clusters. It was perched on a mountain, which made it stand even taller than the rest of the peaks around it. Clouds swirled around the tallest tower, and lightning flashing in the sky as if Arina could control the weather as well as those black rocks she’d built her stronghold from.

“Well, that’s not foreboding at all,” Jorel mumbled.

George kept his grip tight on Monarch’s reins as they flew closer and closer to the castle in the mountains. “Dylan, are you sure we shouldn’t just go back and do what you suggested?” He didn’t want to make Dylan feel like he didn’t have a say in this. George was fully willing to do what Dylan suggested if he was willing.

Dylan shook his head. He leaned on Grenade and pet Dove with his free hand. There was a weariness in his eyes that George hadn’t noticed before. “We’re already here,” Dylan muttered. “No point turning back now.”

 _He’s not okay_ , Monarch’s voice rumbled. _This is stressful for him. I think he feels bad about what he did a thousand years ago. He wants to make things right._

“That might be it,” George said, keeping his voice low so Dylan couldn’t hear. “It’s hard to tell with him. Who knows what’s on his mind right now?”

_While you were all in Jeffrey’s workshop earlier, Grenade told me was concerned about Dylan. Dove said the same. They said Dylan doesn’t seem the same as he used to be. Which is understandable, considering this is a completely different life for him, but... this isn’t how he usually is in this life either, is it?_

“No, it’s not. It’s a little concerning, to be honest. Maybe what he did back then is getting to him.”

_I assume so. You should try talking to him about it._

“Hey!” Matt’s voice shouted from where he and Saint were flying above the others. “Where do we land?”

George scanned the area ahead. It was riddled with mountains. There was no flat land to set down on.

“We’ll have to drop ourselves off on one of the towers,” George responded. “She’s probably expecting us to go in though the front door. We’ll have to take her by surprise.”

Aron peaked over Saint’s side to look at George. “So you mean we have to just jump off mid-air and land on that thing?” He pointed at the jagged black castle.

“Yep! Don’t worry, we’ll be fine!” George reassured him. “We’ve jumped off dragons before!”

He gently guided Monarch towards the black castle. Jorel took a step closer to the middle of Monarch’s back and shot a couple fearful glances at the ground below. His fear of heights must have manifested in this life at least a little bit.

“Jeff, do you know if she’s still in there?” George asked.

“No clue!” Jeff yelled. “I can’t feel her presence anymore, but I bet she’s still there!”

“You really want me to jump off this thing?” Matt shouted, voice quivering with fear.

“You’ll be fine!” George reassured him. “Saint can fly you close enough that you won’t fall onto the mountain! Maybe!”

“MAYBE?”

“Relax, Kurlzz!” Jeff guided Shade so he was flying in front of Monarch. “If you fall, I’ll catch ya!”

George tugged on the reins and lowered Monarch so he would fly right over one of the black spires. Dylan stopped leaning on Grenade and stepped closer to Monarch’s head. “Ready, Jay?”

Jorel hesitated. “No.”

“Too bad.”

Shade passed over the black castle. Jeff launched off Shade’s back and fell to one of the towers with an excited scream. He landed on a stone balcony.

 _Get ready_ , Monarch warned.

George pushed himself to his feet and let go of the reins as the tower Jeff had jumped on grew nearer. “You might wanna move, Shady!” he shouted.

He jumped off Monarch back as they passed over the tower. Dylan was right behind him, praying he wouldn’t land right on George when they hit the balcony. Dove and Grenade squawked in unison as they jumped after him.

Dylan landed right next to George, grateful that he had timed his jump so George wouldn’t end up with a boot in the face.

Jeff straightened with a grin, his goggles crooked on his head. “That was fun!” He looked up. “Shade, you gonna stand by and make sure nothing goes wrong?”

Shade squawked and flew off. He landed on a mountain, claws holding the rock with an iron grip.

 _I’ll make sure this dimwit doesn’t do anything stupid,_ Monarch’s voice boomed. He veered towards Shade and settled on the peak of the mountain Shade had chosen.

George glanced around. “Where’s Jay?”

“Over here!”

Jeff, George, and Dylan rushed to the edge of the balcony and leaned out. They spotted Jorel on a balcony sticking out of the main part of the castle.

“I got scared and jumped off at the wrong time!” he yelled.

Matt plummeted to the same balcony Jorel was on and landed with a grunt. Aron yelped as he landed next to him. Claire and Nine flew down to join them. Saint snorted in exasperation and flew off towards Shade and Monarch. She seemed more than a little annoyed over the fact that Matt still didn’t quite remember how to be a dragon rider yet.

“We were supposed to stick together!” George called.

“That didn’t turn out too well!”

George turned toward the sound of Danny’s voice. He looked down and saw Jordon, Danny, and Lion on a balcony sticking out of the wall far below them. Viral had flown past, but he circled around and fluttered in front of the balcony his companion had landed on. He nudged Jordon with his snout in mild confusion.

Dylan sighed. “We really shouldn’t be split up. Viral, could you—?”

“Let’s go!” Jeff shouted in excitement, rushing towards the doors in the wall that would take them inside the giant obsidian castle. “No time to waste!”

George heaved a great sigh as Jeff flung the doors open. “Jeff—”

“it’s okay!” Matt called. “We’ll catch up with you later! Text us if you find this evil lady!”

George tensed. Splitting up again wasn’t a good idea, in his opinion. When they did so in the caves, Arina had almost killed Dylan, Danny, and Jorel.

However, Jordon and Danny had already disappeared into the castle, and Matt was already opening the doors on their balcony. There didn’t seem to be any chance of getting them all on the same page.

“Come on!” Jeff strolled through the doors as if the castle was his home and there was no chance of a murderous magic lady bursting out of nowhere and attacking him.

Dylan heaved an exasperated sigh. “You think this is a good idea?”

“No,” George said immediately.

“But we don’t seem to have a choice.”

“No we don’t.”

“Alright.” Dylan linked his arm with George’s. “Let’s make sure this lunatic doesn’t get himself killed.”

* * *

Danny and Jordon opened the doors to a pitch black hallway. “Creepy,” Danny whispered. Lion grunted in agreement.

Jordon stepped through the doors. Torches flickered on the walls, glowing with electric blue flames. “This is weird.” He glanced behind him, where Viral still hovered near the balcony. “See ya, buddy. We’ll be back soon.”

Viral whimpered, disappointed about having to be separated from Jordon again, but he soared off towards the three bigger dragons resting on the mountaintop. Jordon wished he could take Viral everywhere with him, but Viral was too big to fit through the doors. He thought that was very unfair, how most of the other dragons could follow them anywhere but Viral couldn’t.

Danny pulled out his phone and turned on the flashlight. “Where do you think Ari—this evil lady is?” He gulped. He’d almost said her name, and Dylan and George still didn’t want the others to know yet. He didn’t really see the harm in telling Jordon, but George and Dylan knew more in this situation.

“Dunno,” Jordon muttered. He stared at the black walls. “Why is there a castle in the mountains here? Did she make it?”

“I assume so.” Danny shone his light on the wall and peered at it closely. It was flat and smooth, with not even a single chip in the stone. It buzzed with magical energy beneath his fingers. “I wonder how.”

“I wish we remembered.”

“Me too.” Lion nuzzled Danny’s shoulder with a low whine.

His hand grazed against something and he took it away. He stopped walking and peered at the wall. However, it was no longer a wall. Instead, bars like those on a jail cell were set in the rock. He shone his flashlight around them. In the walls on both sides of the corridor were dozens of cells, barred with the same black rock the rest of the castle was made of.

“I think we’re in a dungeon,” Danny mumbled.

Jordon peered into one of the cells. “What would she have trapped down here?”

“No clue.” Danny stepped away from the jail cell. Something about this place gave him a bad vibe. “I think we should keep moving.”

Lion nodded once. She trotted ahead of the two, and Jordon and Danny hurried to catch up.

The bars of one of the cells rattled. All three of them jumped in surprise. “What was that?” Jordon squeaked.

Danny aimed his light at the cell. He saw nothing inside, but the barred door trembled again. They all took a step back. Jordon drew one of his revolvers.

The door slowly grated open. Danny shone his light all over the cell, and then he saw it. On the ground was a skeletal hand grasping the bars. It was connected to an arm, but the arm wasn’t attached to anything. It tugged on the door, and it slid open further.

“Okay, that’s disgusting,” Jordon mumbled.

Another arm pulled itself across the ground and left the cell. A hand skittered after it, using its fingers as legs, like some sort of gruesome spider. A skull rolled across the floor and into the hallway.

Danny took Jordon’s hand. “Does she keep those undead soldiers down here?”

“Maybe,” Jordon mumbled as he and Danny backed away. “I feel like we should leave.”

They ran down the corridor as the cell door grated open.

* * *

Jeff stared around the room he, George, and Dylan had ended up in after leaving the balcony. “Whoa, is this a dining room?”

“Looks like it,” Dylan said. A long table stretched to their left and right, dozens of obsidian chairs lined up against the table. Blue torches flickered on the walls, illuminating the room just enough so they could see.

“Weird.” Jeff hopped up onto the tabletop and stared at the chairs. “I didn’t think she ate.”

“She’s alive,” George said. “She probably has to.”

Jeff was silent for a moment. “Oh. Right.”

Dylan raised an eyebrow. “Have _you_ been eating?”

Jeff waved a hand. “Yeah, yeah. I mean, on the occasion when I get really hungry. It’s kinda hard to find wildlife out here to hunt, and I ain’t going back to L.A. just to grab some snacks. Besides, I don’t have the time.” He looked up. “Ooh, a door!” He hopped off the table and rushed over to the door in the middle of the opposite wall.

George and Dylan exchanged a concerned glance. “Uh, Jeff?” George said. “What exactly have you been doing since you got here?”

Jeff glanced back as he grabbed the door handles. “Hm? Oh, not much. Just trying to figure out what the hell is going on in this place, what Arina’s doing, why she hasn’t attacked me and Shade yet, why Aron hasn’t remembered about his powers yet, how these surges of power are still happening long after the empire was destroyed—you know, just the who, what, where, when, why, and how of everything. That, and I’ve been stocking up on weapons. Just in case.” He flung the doors open. “Cool, a hallway.”

Dylan walked up behind Jeff to look over his shoulder. Dove and Grenade trotted along behind him. A hallway stretched off to either side, blue torches embedded in the black walls to lighten it a little.

“Where do we go?” George wondered.

Jeff shrugged. “I haven’t been here since we died, man. I don’t know any more than you.”

George reached into his small bag and took out his flashlight. “Let’s just keep our heads on a swivel. We don’t know where she could be.”

Jeff started down the hallway to the right. Dylan followed after him, as did Dove, Grenade, and George. Dylan wasn’t sure if he wanted Jeff at the front of the group to lead them, so he quickened his pace so he was at the front instead. Jeff seemed a little delusional. Dylan wondered if it was from sleep deprivation. The bags under Jeff’s eyes told Dylan that he hadn’t slept in at least twenty-four hours.

Dove and Grenade’s claws scraped against the black stone floor as they jogged behind Dylan. “This is creepier than I remember,” he whispered.

“No shit.” George ran a hand along the wall. “We’ve never been in this part of her stronghold before.”

“S’ dark,” Jeff agreed. He swished his long coat back and forth as he strolled along. He blinked furiously and rubbed his eyes, as if fighting to stay awake. He stumbled and bumped into Dove.

Dove whirled around and snapped at him. He skittered backwards and pressed his back against the wall as Dove squawked in anger. Her throat rumbled in a menacing growl, her scarred eyes narrowed in Jeff’s direction.

Dylan set a hand on her back. “Dove, it’s okay. He’s not gonna hurt you.”

Dove didn’t bother turning towards Dylan, but she stopped growling. She stepped away from Jeff, eyes still narrowed. She snarled at him one last time before she turned and trotted after Grenade.

Dylan followed his two dragons. George walked after them, his left hand resting on the pommel of his sword at his hip. Jeff took deep heaving breaths as his heart slowed. He thought Dove was going to rip his throat out.

He swallowed and stared after the group. He wouldn’t blame Dove if she did. Not after how he treated her a thousand years ago.

He gently tugged his bandanna over his face and lowered his goggles over his eyes as he followed the others.

* * *

Jorel kept one hand on Tiger’s side as Matt pushed open the doors to their balcony. He wasn’t sure what to think of this venture they were on. If they found Arina, were they supposed to kill her? Were they just going to capture her? Knock her out? She wasn’t the same Arina Jorel used to know, but he wouldn’t be able to stand seeing her dead.

“Whoa,” Matt said as soon as the doors were open. “This is a huge library.”

The three of them, including Nine and Claire, all filed into the castle. Jorel gazed up at the dozens of obsidian bookshelves lining the walls. Each one was crammed with novels. Standing sconces were spread throughout the room, each one flickering with blue light. A couple tables and chairs were scattered across the floor. A grand staircase was built into the wall to the right, a door in the wall at the very top.

Matt gave a low whistle. “I could live in here.” Claire chirped in agreement.

“Same,” Aron muttered, gaping at the towering bookshelves in wonder.

Matt raised an eyebrow. “You read?”

“Yeah. Why?”

“I thought you didn’t do anything other than harass your old bandmates.”

“Give it a rest, Matthew,” Jorel snapped. Aron would already have to deal with his sister being evil. He didn’t need the others getting mad at him for shit he did ten years ago.

“Don’t call me Matthew,” Matt scoffed. “You’re not Danny or my mom.”

Jorel shrugged. “Is there even a difference between Danny and your mom?”

Matt furrowed his brow. He snorted, a smile widening on his face. “For one, Danny’s prettier.”

Jorel laughed and nudged Matt with his elbow, the tension immediately dissipating. “Oh, come on, man, respect your mom!”

Matt walked up to a bookshelf. “Yeah, I take it back. Mom’s way prettier. You can’t be ugly if you made a beauty like me.” He took a book off the shelf and opened it.

Jorel glanced back at Aron. He didn’t want to make Aron feel left out, but as he thought, Aron and Nine had stationed themselves close to the doors. Aron trained his gaze on the ground, his arms crossed. Matt might not have wanted Aron around, but Jorel wasn’t going to let him make Aron feel like he wasn’t wanted.

Jorel walked up to Aron. “Hey. You know you can look through the books, right? We got time. We don’t have to find this lady right away.”

Aron looked up. He blinked, as if he was surprised that Jorel was talking to him. He glanced over at Matt and Claire. “I... I don’t know. I think we should just find her and get it over with.”

“Everyone else is looking,” Jorel pointed out. “They might find her, and we can stay near the exit in case they need our help.”

Aron hesitated, but Nine nudged his arm and he sighed. “I guess we can take a look.”

“Hey, this book has writing in it!” Matt exclaimed. He flipped through the pages. “Someone made notes in here.”

Jorel wandered over to another shelf and took a book from it. Tiger sniffed at the cover as he flipped it open. Oddly enough, he expected to see a familiar story within its pages, maybe some classic literature he hadn’t bothered to read in high school, but the words printed on the page were unfamiliar. They weren’t written in any strange form of Old English, which was a relief. He skimmed the pages.

_In the times of human colonization throughout Angeles, there were three great forces that were not to be reckoned with. The moment they clashed with society, humanity fell from greatness and was reduced to nearly nothing. In those dark times, over half the humans on Sunset Island were destroyed. The story of how this came to pass is a devastating one, but it is a legend that must be heard. Retold again and again, in order to ensure that humanity does not repeat the same arrogant mistakes it once did._

Jorel already found himself losing interest. There were no notes on the page, like there were in Matt’s book, so he flipped the book open closer to the end.

_When humanity was at its darkest, they decided to take up their weapons and fight back. They turned to the nearest Great Dragon: the Guardian. It was rumoured to have a fearsome rider. This rider was stronger than an ox, a ruthless warrior who wielded a blade that could fell the mightiest of beasts with a single swipe. The people of Sunset knew he and the Guardian would be dangerous foes, but they were determined to take one last stand against the horrible creatures that had killed so many of their kind. All those on Sunset who were healthy enough to fight took arms and made their way to the Keep. Nearly a million soldiers, half the overall population of Sunset at the time, ventured off to the Keep._

In the margins of the page were some scribbled notes. Jorel squinted in the dim light to read them. Someone had underlined “Guardian” and “rider” and wrote the word _“heroes”_ next to the paragraph. Under that were the written words _“they’ll save us”_ and _“they’ll bring him back to me”._ Jorel had no idea what that meant, but his curiosity was piqued now. He skipped ahead to the next page.

_As soon as the humans arrived in the Guardian’s Keep, they were slaughtered. Almost every single soldier was killed in the Guardian’s fit of rage. Only one survived to tell the tale, and she never uttered a word of the battle until many months after it occurred. The Guardian and its rider massacred every human who came to their Keep._

Jorel paused in his reading when he noticed that a line had been drawn under the word “rider” again. He glanced at the margins and his breath caught in his throat when he saw the words written there.

_“The rider has arrived!! George and Monarch have brought Aron back to me. They saved me!”_

Jorel looked up from the book. With a start, he realized that this was Arina’s handwriting.

He flipped to the very end of the book and looked at the back cover. More notes were scribbled on the last blank page.

_“Aron is here with me. Eleven and I aren’t alone anymore. I want to thank the hero personally, but he is still visiting the Empire, and I’m not going back there. What I wouldn’t give to see him drive his blade through the necks of the people who kept me imprisoned! They certainly deserve it.”_

Jorel swallowed. He walked over to one of the tables and placed the book on its surface. George... George had killed people? He told Jorel and the others that he had done so when he was relaying that strange series of dreams he had a couple months back, but Jorel thought he’d been exaggerating for the sake of entertainment. Besides, he never thought those dreams had been real until just this morning.

He walked away from the table, trying to process what he just read. Tiger whimpered and nudged his face with her snout. She seemed concerned about Jorel’s sudden revelation.

He saw a flash of crystal out of the corner of his eye and glanced up. Nine had walked up to the book and was peering down at it with his bright pink eyes. He looked back at Aron and chirped.

Before Jorel could decide what to do or how to react, Aron approached the table with the book and leaned on it. “What did you find, bud?” He scanned the notes written in the book. As he read, he furrowed his brow. “Wh...” He picked up the book and blinked at it. “This is... the handwriting—”

“Aron,” Jorel blurted before he could think about what to say. Aron turned to him with a confused look on his face. “I—I have something I need to tell—”

“Well, hello there.”

Jorel, Aron, and Matt looked up. At the top of the grand staircase stood a woman. She donned obsidian black armor, and her blond hair was tucked into a braided crown to keep it out of her face. A spear was strapped to her back, and a black dragon was curled over her one-shouldered cyan cape.

She smiled. “It’s good to see all of you gentlemen again.” She nodded towards Tiger and Claire. “And ladies, I suppose.”

Jorel looked at Aron, nervously waiting for his reaction. He was gaping at her like he’d just seen a ghost.

Matt blinked. “Holy shit...” he whispered.

A chuckle pulled itself from her lips. “Hello Matthew. It’s been a while. I can’t remember how long it’s been. Ten years? A thousand? I can never keep track.” She drew her spear and rested it on her shoulder. “I suppose we have some time to catch up now, considering I’m not going to allow you to contact your friends for backup. Besides, I’m sure they’ll find us soon enough.”

Jorel hesitantly stepped closer to Aron. “Aron? You okay?”

She turned to Aron. Her cocky smirk turned to a warm smile. “Hey Ronnie. How have you been?”

Aron swallowed and stared at her in awe. He opened his mouth to speak, but only one word escaped his mouth.

“Arina?”


	17. Crossing The Line

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> i feel like it's worth noting that i started replaying Breath of the Wild when i wrote this chapter so i sort of imagine Arina's stronghold looking like Hyrule Castle, just in case any of y'all are confused as to the layout of everything in this castle

Arina tapped her fingers on her spear. “Aron, I’m sure this is a surprise, but trust me, everything will make sense soon.”

Jorel looked back and forth between Aron and Arina. Aron stood there with his eyes wide, frozen in shock. Matt looked just as surprised.

Oddly enough, Arina wasn’t the first thing on Jorel’s mind. He glanced back at the book he’d set on the table. The things that book said about George...

He grabbed the book and shoved it in his backpack as Arina slowly walked down the stairs. “I don’t believe my library is a good place to have this conversation,” she said. “Why don’t we take this somewhere else?”

The ceiling far above them cracked. Jorel hugged Tiger close as the ceiling crumbled.

“What are you doing?” Matt squeaked in alarm.

The floor beneath their feet began to rise. Arina hopped onto it as they were lifted towards the ceiling. Black pieces of rock somehow fell upward, making room for the floor of the library that lifted them into the room above. Jorel leaned against a table to keep himself steady.

The floor shuddered to a stop once they reached the room above. The black tables sank into the floor, and Jorel almost fell backwards when the tabletop disappeared beneath his hand. He straightened and stared around the room. They had emerged in a large sort of throne room. A set of open doors stood in the wall behind them, leading out to a stone pathway lined with columns. Windows in the walls let in the fading sunlight, and between the windows were more cyan blue torches. There was no glass in the windows, letting gusts of wind blow through the room freely. A black obsidian throne stood at the back wall. Black spikes of rock stuck out of the ground around it.

Arina walked up to the throne and sat down. Her dragon scampered off her shoulders and rested on the back of the throne. She crossed her legs and rested the pommel of her spear on the ground. “I believe I should explain some things before your friends get here,” she said.

“You know what I wanna know?” Matt burst. “Why the fuck _you’re_ here! You’re his little sister! You bugged us when we were recording for Swan Songs! You’re not supposed to be...” He waved his arm to the room they were in. “This!”

Arina grinned. “Matthew, there are too many things you don’t know. Don’t worry your pretty little head about it.”

“Don’t patronize me!” Matt took a step forward, but Claire took his cloak in her mouth and held him back.

Arina chuckled. “You’re feistier than you were a thousand years ago. It’s cute.”

“Rina,” Aron muttered, “what the hell is going on? What are you doing here?”

Arina’s smirk wilted. “Aron, I hate to break it to you, but your friends are hiding something from you. Or, they were, at least.” She took a deep breath. “A thousand years ago, both of us were born with incredibly destructive powers. You didn’t know about it until we met.”

Aron blinked. “Wh... what?”

Arina stood. Her dragon hopped from the back of the throne and onto her shoulders. “It’s a big piece of information to take in, but...” She spread her arms and gestured to the room around them. “This is what you can do. You’re powerful, Aron. You’re part of something bigger than this hero thing George dragged you into. You aren’t meant to protect Los Angeles.”

Aron stared at her. He furrowed his brow and turned to Jorel. “You knew.”

Jorel hesitated. “I—I found out when we bumped into her in the caves.”

“And you didn’t bother to _tell me?”_ Aron’s voice grew louder as he spoke until he was yelling. Anger blazed in his eyes. Jorel took a step back.

“I’m sorry, Dylan didn’t want me to—”

“I don’t give a fuck what Dylan wanted!” Aron exploded. “Why the hell didn’t you tell me my sister was involved in this?”

“I wanted to, I just—!”

“Aron,” Arina interrupted. “You might want to calm down.” She nodded at the ground. “We don’t want to bring the walls down.”

Jorel looked down as well. Pointed black rocks stuck out of the floor at Aron’s feet, slowly cracking the ground as they grew higher.

Aron skittered back, his eyes wide. “What the fuck?”

“You’re doing that,” Arina told him. “It’s responding to your emotions.”

Aron kept backing away. A trail of black spikes poked out of the ground in his wake. “I—I can’t—”

The floor trembled slightly. Arina glanced out a window to the right, and Jorel followed her gaze. On one of the towers outside, ice had coated over the black stone. A cloud of shadows swirled around the tower and settled on top of it.

Arina turned back to look at the rest of them. It could have been Jorel’s imagination, but he could have sworn he saw bolts of bright blue lightning in her eyes. “Aron, we don’t have a lot of time,” she said. “You have to make a choice. You can come with me and learn how to control your powers. Or you can go with them. It’s entirely your decision.”

Aron glanced back and forth from Arina to the frosted tower and the cloud of shadows. “I... I don’t—”

Arina shot another glance out the window. “Your friends seem to have gotten their powers back again. Whatever you choose, I have to run. You’ll be able to find me if you need to.”

With that, she turned and ran for the window behind her throne. She launched out the window, disappearing from sight. The entire room shook as a huge black spike protruded from the side of the castle and stretched towards the mountains around them. Jorel spotted Arina running along the growing spike, bolts of lightning bursting from the obsidian with every step.

Matt looked at Aron, a mix of concern and slight distrust on his face. “Aron?”

Aron just stood there and watched his sister run as small black rocks poked through the floor at his feet. “I... She...”

The cloud of shadows darted into the room from the window to the right and solidified into a vaguely human shape. Two black dragons flew in after it. “Where is she?” Dylan’s voice demanded from the swirling shadows.

Jorel ignored him and hesitantly reached out towards Aron. “Aron? You okay?”

Jorel’s hand grazed Aron’s shoulder and he jerked away, eyes narrowing at Jorel. “You fucking knew.”

Jorel swallowed. “I wanted to say something, I—I just didn’t know—”

He was cut off when Aron lunged forward and pushed him. Tiger squeaked in alarm as he stumbled back. “Shut up, Decker!” Aron snapped. “You knew that the one person who stuck with me through all these years was involved in all of this, and you didn’t say anything!”

Jorel blinked, at a loss for what to say. “I’m—I’m sorry—”

Aron whirled around and sprinted for the open doors. Nine shot a glare in Jorel’s direction before scampering after his companion. Aron ran out onto the path outside, Nine right behind him.

Dylan stared after him. He didn’t look surprised in the slightest. “Matt, text Danny and Jordon. I’ll go grab George and Jeff.”

Matt nodded slowly. “Yeah... yeah, okay.” He pulled his phone out of his pocket.

Dylan hardly spared Jorel a glance before he dissolved into shadows once again. Dove and Grenade soared out the window as Dylan drifted back outside.

Jorel turned to the door. He debated with himself over whether he should go after Aron, but it wasn’t a long debate. He wasn’t about to lose Aron when he’d just found him again.

Jorel ran towards the doors and onto the path outside. It twisted around the side of the castle, leading down past doors and open tunnels. Jorel sprinted after Aron, feet pounding on the stone. “Aron!” he shouted.

Aron didn’t turn around. Jorel chased him until he saw Aron and Nine slip into a tunnel. Jorel hesitated, wondering where they were going, but he followed them anyway.

The tunnel emerged into a hallway lined with blue torches. He caught sight of Aron and Nine running down the hallway towards a set of doors.

“Aron!” Jorel called.

Aron slowed to a stop. He stood still for a moment, but he finally turned around to face Jorel. His face was streaked with angry tears. He wiped at his eyes. “What?” he spat.

Jorel ran a hand through his hair, wracking his brain for something to say. “Look, I... I’m sorry. I wanted to tell you. I should have. But... do you really want to go with her and... do whatever it is that she’s trying to do? I don’t know what’s going through your head right now, but we can work this out together. Please, Aron, just wait. We can figure things out together, like we used to.”

Aron clenched his fists. “No.”

The hallway shook as black spikes poked out of the walls and floor. Jorel took a step back. “Please,” he said, his voice shaky with fear. “Aron, you don’t want to do this!”

“You have no idea what I want, Jorel!” Aron burst. He whirled around and started towards the doors, Nine trotting along behind him.

“Aron!” Jorel glanced frantically at the black rocks blocking his path. How would he get through there?

Tiger squeaked and hopped off his shoulders. She wriggled through a gap that looked just big enough for Jorel to squeeze through. He crouched down and followed her through.

“Aron, please!” Jorel called. “I’m sorry I didn’t tell you earlier! I should have!”

“I’m not doing this just because of that!”

Jorel paused just as he was about to follow Tiger through another gap in the maze of black spikes. “Then why?”

Aron stopped in his tracks and glared back at Jorel. “Sure, I wish you had told me about it because she’s my sister and I wanted to know beforehand, but that’s not the point. It’s clear where your loyalties lie. You trust Dylan and George and the rest of them more than you trust me. You didn’t even try to tell me. You just did what Dylan told you!” He turned back around and stormed towards the doors. “Besides, you’re the only one who’s tolerating me here. Danny’s too polite to say anything about me being with you, and George and Dylan were only being nice because you were okay with me being here. The other three hate my guts.”

“They won’t hate you forever,” Jorel protested. “Aron, please.”

Aron grabbed the door handles and stopped. “Jorel, I know you might be okay with me being here, but we can’t just ignore everything that happened in 2010 and pretend everything’s fine. I was an asshole, and whatever happened a thousand years ago, it was something big. I don’t know what I did, but... none of you are going to let me forget about it. If Matt and Jordon are going to keep acting like this is 2010, and if Jeff’s going to keep treating me like a villain...” His grip tightened on the door handles. “I might as well be one.”

He flung the doors open and ran outside. “Aron!” Jorel yelled. He shimmied through one last gap between the rocks and sprinted after Aron. “Wait!”

He ran through the doors and emerged on a black stone bridge leading to one of the towers. He skirted around black spikes rising out of the bridge in Aron’s wake. Tiger scampered alongside him.

A large black spike broke through the bridge. Jorel skidded to a stop as the obsidian bridge crumbled in front of him. Aron jumped onto the rock as it rose. The point pierced through the tower in front of them, and pieces broke off and tumbled to the ground far below. Jorel watched with increasing despair as the rock Aron was on stretched higher and higher until it matched the height of the one Arina had run away on. Aron wasn’t going to come back.

But Jorel still had to try.

He backed away from the edge of the stone bridge, hoping he could make the jump. Tiger skittered up his leg and rested on his shoulders, whimpering with concern. He braced himself for the possibility of plummeting to his death, then took a running start.

He launched off the edge of the half-broken bridge and his feet thudded on the black spike. He almost thought he would slip right off, but the rock was less smooth than it looked. He managed to keep his footing and immediately started after Aron and Nine.

Up ahead, he saw Aron and Nine running towards Arina, who had paused and was standing on the black spike she had summoned, watching Aron. He leaped from his spike to hers, Nine right behind him. Arina grabbed his shoulders to steady him as he landed.

“Aron, wait!” Jorel called desperately. He stopped near the top of the spike and stared out at them with pleading eyes. The wind whipped his cloak around him and threatened to knock the snapback off his head, but he didn’t pay it any mind. He couldn’t lose Aron. Not again.

Aron glanced back, and Jorel hoped that he would reconsider his decision, that he would come back and talk to Jorel and the others, and Arina would come with him, and they could all figure things out together.

Aron reached behind him and drew one of the swords on his back. He raised it above his head and swung down at the black rock he had created. A nick appeared in the black, and a sound like a gunshot boomed through the air as a crack snaked across the rock.

Jorel backed away as the obsidian beneath him began to crumble. He gave Aron one last pleading look, silently asking him to think about what he was doing, then whirled around and sprinted back towards the broken bridge. Pieces of rock fell away behind him. Before he could lose his footing and fall, he reached for the edge of the broken bridge and jumped off the rock. He just managed to grab hold of it with his left hand. His shoulder jerked form the force, and a sharp pain tore through his muscles as he swung in the air, suspended by the grip he had on the edge of the broken bridge. He grit his teeth through the pain and turned his head as much as he could to look behind him. Aron and Arina’s faint silhouettes hopped on Nine’s back, and Jorel watched helplessly as they took off into the sky.

Jorel turned back to the bridge above him. He didn’t want to move. He just wanted to stay there and wallow in his sadness.

But Tiger kept nudging his face and whining, and he was afraid his grip would slip soon. That, and his shoulder ached so horribly he was sure that he tore a muscle. Hanging there by one hand wasn’t helping the pain.

He heard footsteps pounding above him, and then Danny and Jordon’s faces appeared over the edge of the bridge. Jordon reached down and grabbed Jorel’s sleeve and started to pull him back up. Danny reached down, and Jorel swung his free arm up to grab his hand. The two of them hauled Jorel back onto the bridge, and Lion even grabbed the back of his cloak in her mouth to help. Jorel’s shoulder screamed in protest the whole time.

He finally collapsed on top of the bridge. Tiger curled around his torso as he clutched his shoulder.

Danny crouched in front of him. “What the hell happened? Where’s Aron?”

Jorel blinked. “Matt didn’t tell you?”

Jordon shrugged. “He just texted us saying you guys needed our help. He didn’t give details.”

Danny swallowed and glanced over the side of the bridge. “He’s not... he didn’t fall, did he?”

Jorel shook his head slowly. “He... he went with Arina.”

“Arina?” Jordon squeaked in surprise. “Wh—where did she come from? Why is she here?”

Danny sighed. “She’s the lady we bumped into in the caves. She and Aron are the ones with the powers George and Dylan told us about.”

Jordon fell into silence, staring at the ground like he was trying to process that information. Danny gently took Jorel’s arms and pulled him to his feet. “I’m sorry, Jay,” he said. “This sucks.”

Jorel didn’t respond. He just stood there as Lion licked at his face and Tiger nuzzled into his cloak. He lost Aron again.

He hissed in pain when Jordon gently touched his shoulder. “We can fix that when we get back to Jeff’s place,” Jordon said.

The leathery sound of flapping wings met Jorel’s ears and he looked up. Monarch, Shade, Saint, and Viral all swooped down from the sky and hovered near the remains of the tower Aron had destroyed. “What happened?” George’s voice shouted. 

“Arina happened.”

Jorel, Danny, and Jordon all shrieked and nearly jumped out of their skin. Dylan had somehow appeared on the broken bridge right next to them. His form was swathed in darkness, making him blend into the shadows the setting sun cast around them. Dove and Grenade landed behind him.

“Arina and Aron left,” Dylan said. “I thought we could get ourselves together quick enough to go after them, but Nine’s too fast. They’re long gone by now. I could catch up to them myself, and Claire probably could too, but facing them right now isn’t a good idea. Not now that they’re together.”

“I don’t wanna stay here any longer than I have to,” Jeff said from Shade’s back. “We should go back to the Keep.” Shade grunted in agreement.

“Sound good to me,” George said. He tugged on Monarch’s reins. Monarch rose into the sky and soared over the spires and towers of the castle.

Jorel watched as Matt and Jeff flew after them. Dylan hopped on Grenade’s back and flew after Monarch. Jordon took a running leap off the bridge and landed on Viral’s back, and they flew off after the others.

Danny gently nudged Jorel. “You okay?”

Jorel turned to where Aron and Arina had flown off. The setting sun seared his eyes, obscuring his vision, so he turned away.

“Yeah. Let’s go.”


	18. Bloody Nose

**One Thousand Years Ago**

George kept his left hand on the pommel of his sword as the eight of them followed the mysterious shadow lady through the forest. “I’m not getting a good vibe about this,” he whispered to Dylan.

“Me neither,” Dylan admitted. “How the hell did she get a crystal from the No-Way-Out Caves if she’s never gone there? Who went and got it for her?”

“I don’t know.” George glanced behind him at Monarch, who was carefully trying to maneuver through the forest without crushing too many trees. “What do you think, bud?”

Monarch’s throat rumbled. _I hate walking through forests._

“No, I mean, what do you think of this... situation?” He didn’t outright state what they were talking about. The lady still walked ahead of them, fishing net thrown over her shoulder. She could probably hear them.

 _I think we should be on our guard,_ Monarch growled. _This place might be dangerous. So might the people._ He huffed. _George, I have a tree stuck between my toes._

“It’s just up ahead!” the woman exclaimed. “The people are going to love you. We’ve all heard the legends. We all believed you would come see us someday.”

She brushed a branch aside and walked out of the forest. “Come along!”

 _Um, George?_ Monarch growled. _I know you can’t see this yet, but... brace yourself._

George didn’t know what he needed to brace himself for, but he did his best. He followed the lady through the foliage.

He stopped when he saw what was in front of him. “What the fuck,” he whispered.

A huge city stretched towards the horizon in front of him. They were at the edge of the city, a few merchant carts placed around the road. Dragons trotted alongside people, but that wasn’t what shocked him.

It was the people. He watched as one lady with fiery eyes walked hand in hand with a man whose hands were frosted over. Smoke rose up from her footprints, and ice spread across the dirt from his. Another man bartered with a merchant over a bracelet. Red lines streaked across his skin, and small trees sprouted from the ground at his feet. The merchant he was speaking to had rocky orange patches on his arms and shoulders, and they glowed like lava as he handed the bracelet over to the man and held out his hand for some coins.

“Oh my god,” Jordon muttered. He and the others had stepped out of the forest behind George, and they looked just as shocked.

“Everyone here has powers,” Danny mumbled. His gaze followed a teenager walking across the street. Their legs dissolved into shadows with every step.

The woman who had led them there started down the street. “Come to the town square! We will explain everything.”

George exchanged a worried glance with the others. Matt just shrugged, at a loss for what to do. Jeffrey crossed his arms and didn’t meet George’s eyes.

“I guess we should go after her,” Dylan said.

“I guess.” George followed the lady down the street. “She better have a good explanation for this.”

* * *

“Sit, sit,” the woman said, motioning for the seven heroes and their stubborn captive rider to sit on the ground. She had introduced herself as Elizabeth, and she had sent a young messenger out to gather a few other people. None of the heroes knew exactly what was going on, but they hoped she would have some answers.

Elizabeth sat in the middle of the town square, along with four other people. Elizabeth was one of the oldest of the group, a few grey hairs in her brown hair and one or two wrinkles on her face. The slightly older man to her left had a cold attitude about him, but that was disrupted by the flames that flickered in his eyes. His pale skin was wrinkled, and unlike everyone they had passed on their way to the square, he scowled at the heroes when he saw them. The man next to him was much younger, with smooth brown skin and a warm smile, but the warmth of his expression was contradicted by the ice that spread across the ground where he sat. On Elizabeth’s other side were two women. One was blonde, and she kept her gaze on the ground. The rocky patches on her shoulders smoked and glowed when she laid eyes on the heroes. The other woman was probably the youngest of the group, her black hair pinned neatly into a bun behind her head. She kept her head high, as if she was above the heroes. Red lines streaked across her face every once in a while.

“We’re all honoured to finally meet you,” Elizabeth said. The old man with the fiery powers scoffed at that, but she ignored him. “We’ve been needing heroes like you for a long time.”

“But why?” Jordon asked. The blonde lady looked up at him and her face flushed. “Why do you need us? Why do you all have powers? Why is this island not on any maps?”

Elizabeth smiled. “Don’t worry, we’ll explain everything. Why don’t we start with introductions?” She gestured to the men on her left. “This is Darius and Kira.” The old man scowled at the sound of his name, and the younger one smiled and waved at the heroes. Elizabeth motioned to the two women on her right. “And this is Cassandra and Hera.” The blond woman hunched her shoulders while the younger lady simply raised a thin eyebrow at the group. “The five of us make up the council that leads this city.”

As if on cue, each of the four others reached into their shirts and pulled out a necklace. A piece of grey stone hung from Darius’s neck, and flames flickered across the rock. From Kira’s neck hung a piece of ice that sent frost snaking up the cord it hung on. An orange rock dangled form Cassandra’s neck, and she quickly shoved it back in her shirt as it glowed like lava. The pendant on Hera’s necklace was a thick twig that looked like it had been broken off a branch. The bark was black, and a red streak flashed across it.

“We hold the artifacts that the adolescents of the city use to gain their powers,” Elizabeth explained. “It may seem strange to you. We know the people of Sunset Island and the Underground don’t have this tradition. But in the Empire—in every city, not just ours—it’s a rite of passage for the young teenagers to complete one of the trials and gain the powers of one of the sacred magical places of Angeles.”

 _That’s incredibly dangerous,_ Saint’s voice rumbled. _That many people with that much power... Matthew, you need to let them know this isn’t safe._

Matt nodded. “Right. Elizabeth, I’m sure this tradition is important for your people, but isn’t that a bit dangerous? That much power in one place... aren’t you afraid it could tip the magical balance the Great Dragons uphold in the realm?”

Elizabeth shook her head. “The only way to keep the balance on this island is to keep using these powers. See, our island is constantly under threat by earthquakes. With these earthquakes come horrible creatures.”

“They crawl out of the ground,” Kira piped up, fidgeting with the shard of ice on his necklace. “They attack us, and this is the only way to fight back.”

Aron turned to Jeffrey. “I think they’re talking about the undead soldiers.”

Jeff rolled his eyes. “No one asked you, Erlichman.”

“No, no, he’s right,” Jorel said. “Jeffrey, do you have anything to do with this?”

Everyone turned to him. Jeff glanced from face to face, blinking in confusion. “What, you think I’m sending undead soldiers after these people? I never knew they existed until now! Besides, I haven’t tried to control them in months.”

Hera raised an eyebrow. “You can control the creatures?” She sounded doubtful.

Jeff shrugged. “Have before. I had no idea there were any here, too.”

“Then maybe you can help us,” Elizabeth said hopefully. “During the next earthquake, if you could command them to stop...” She turned to Darius. “We wouldn’t need to use _her_ to fend them off.”

“Her?” George spoke up. “Who’s ‘her’?”

Elizabeth hesitated. “Well—”

“A fierce warrior,” Darius answered. His voice was scratchy, as if the smoke trailing from his eyes made its way into his lungs. “She is extremely dangerous, but we have to release her in order to fend off the creatures. She is the only person with her kind of power, and our city is the one that attracts the most of those creatures, so we have to keep her.” He sounded displeased with this fact.

“Well, she’s not the only one with her kind of power,” Elizabeth said. “Who knows where her brother is? Either way, she is useful. But we have to keep her contained. Otherwise, she may very well destroy us before these undead armies do.” She smiled. “But now that you’re here, you can protect us, instead! I know you all must have Keeps in other places in the realm, but if you could at least stay until the next earthquake, we would be eternally grateful.”

“I don’t actually have a Keep yet,” Jeffrey said.

Elizabeth and the other four turned to him. “You don’t?” Elizabeth whispered.

“Nope. I could set mine up here, if you want. I ain’t got anywhere else to go.”

Matt looked at Jeff, a little concerned. “Are you sure you want to stay here?” he whispered. “This place doesn’t seem safe.”

Jeff shrugged. “No one else will take me. And if I can help out here, that’s all the better.”

Matt caught George and Dylan exchanging worried glances, but they turned to Jeff. “If that’s what you want,” George said, “then go ahead.”

“You can make your home over her prison,” Elizabeth suggested. “If you want to be our new defender, maybe you could stay there and guard her as well, to make sure she doesn’t escape.”

Jeff leaned back against Shade and tapped his boot on the ground. “Depends. Where is her prison?”

Elizabeth stood and pointed to the distance. The razor sharp black rocks on the horizon seemed to loom over them. Matt didn’t like the looks of them.

“She’s kept over there,” Elizabeth said. “We can take you there so you can scope it out first, if you’d like.”

Jeff pushed himself to his feet. “Aight. Let’s do it.”

As Jeff hopped onto Shade’s back and the five council members whistled for their own dragons, Jordon turned to Matt. “This is still giving me a bad vibe.”

Matt nodded. “Me too. But if Jeff wants to stay here, there’s not much we can do to stop him.”

“Guess not.” Jordon sighed. “Well, I guess we should go.” He turned and hopped onto Viral’s back.

Matt stared out at the towering black rocks in the distance. “I guess so.”


	19. Killin It

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> i have totally lost track of time as well as where i am in the story so i HOPE i'm posting these chapters in the right order. i'm pretty sure i am, but i keep wondering if i'm accidentally skipping any
> 
> anyway. here's another part of this garbage fire

**Present Day**

“Jorel, could you stay still for two fucking seconds?”

Jorel grunted in pain as Jordon examined his shoulder. “I’m sorry. It hurts.” Every little movement send pain trough his arm, and it didn’t help that Jordon kept touching it. Jordon claimed it was to see if anything was torn, but Jorel didn’t know how Jordon could possibly know anything about first aid.

“He knows what he’s doing,” Jeff said, as if he knew exactly what Jorel had been thinking. “Don’t worry about it.” He dumped a bunch of fire wood onto the ground. “Dyl, you got the rest?”

A cloud of shadows swirled up to Jeff and materialized into Dylan. He crouched down and placed a bunch of smaller sticks around the logs Jeff had set on the ground. He’d hardly spoken since they returned to Jeff’s Keep. Jorel didn’t know what was up with him, but the fact that Dylan refused to stay in a solid form for more than ten seconds didn’t sit well with him.

Jeff straightened. “Yo Danny boy! Can you make us a fire?”

Danny looked up from where he was sitting on the ground petting Lion. “Hm? Uh, I didn’t bring my lighter.”

Jeff motioned towards the wood. “Just do your fire thing.”

“He doesn’t have his powers, Jeffrey.” George walked up to the group, an axe in hand. Frost crackled across the handle of the axe from his hand. He tossed it to Jeff, and it slipped out of Jeff’s hand and clattered to the ground.

“Right.” Jeff picked up the axe. He looked up at Viral. “Hey! You still got your fire breath?”

Viral snorted at the ridiculous question. He had been lying on the ground next to Shade, but he stood up and stretched with a yawn. He trotted over to the ground and lowered his head to the small pile of wood. A plume of flame burst from his lips and enveloped the wood. He raised his head and stared proudly at the fire he’d made.

“Nice job, bud,” Jordon said as Viral trotted over and lied down behind him. Jordon peered at Jorel’s swollen shoulder. “The hell did you do to this?”

“Jumping from a rock and grabbing the ledge of a broken bridge was not my best idea,” Jorel responded. He grunted as Jordon gently pressed on the aching muscle. Tiger chirped and nuzzled Jorel’s hand in an attempt at comfort.

Jorel heaved a sigh as Jordon started rummaging through the leather bag on his shoulder. He couldn’t stop thinking about how Aron had just run off without even giving Jorel a chance to explain anything. And Arina had seemed so calm and collected despite the circumstances. There was no doubt in his mind that she was not the same person Jorel used to know.

Jeff lowered himself to the ground to sit. “I know you all brought food along with you, but once you run out, I vote Matt does the cooking.” Shade stood and tromped over to Jeff. He lied down behind his companion, and Jeff leaned back against Shade’s white scales. “It’s been a while since I’ve had his food.”

“Me too.” George sat in front of the fire close to Jeff. Monarch stood from where he lay next to Saint and stretched. The ground shook slightly as he tromped over to George and flopped down right next to Shade. He heaved a light sigh as he stared into the flickering flames.

“As long as someone else does the hunting,” Matt said, scratching Claire under the chin. “And prepping the meat. I ain’t skinning an animal.”

“I can do that,” Jeff offered. He leaned over and made grabby hands at George. “Can I have another piece of beef jerky?”

As George dug around in his bag, Danny stared into the fire, idly scratching Lion’s back. “So... quick question, George. You and Dylan have your weird powers back.”

“And me!” Jeff piped up through a mouthful of beef jerky. “I have mine too. I can do everything you guys can, except for your weird fire shit.”

Danny nodded slowly. “Yeah. I’m just wondering, why? What’s happening that’s making your magic come back at random?”

“I can answer that!” Jeff cleared his throat. “Right now, we’re in the middle of a magical power surge. It used to happen all the time on this island because the residents liked to fuck around with magic. That’s why Dylan’s a cloud and Georgie’s turned into Elsa. Usually, during these power surges, undead soldiers would break through the ground and attack people, but I think Arina’s somehow managed to harness the ability to control the soldiers like I used to. I mean, I did it by following some weird ritual in a book that would let me raise the dead without actually using magic, since I didn’t have any at the time, and I just politely asked them to help me, but I feel like Arina went a different route with that. I don’t know how she’s doing it. But now I’m getting off track. Point is, we have our magic back for now, but it’s probably going to disappear again soon.” He rolled up his sleeve to reveal a watch. “We’re gonna have it for maybe five to six hours, give or take half an hour.”

George furrowed his brow. “How did you calculate the times that these surges will show up?”

Jeff lifted his goggles off his face and grinned. “Well, if you want to know so bad, I kept track of how often they occurred through the first month, and I took the amount of time between each one and—”

“Oh my god,” Jordon interrupted. “Please, I don’t need to hear math shit. It’s gonna make my head hurt.”

Jeff sighed. “Okay, fine. Basically, I analyzed a bunch of shit and came up with a couple of equations that I could use to help me figure out when each one happens and how long they’ll last. Once this one’s over, I’ll go back into my workshop and figure out when the next one is.”

Jordon nodded. “Okay. Thank you for sparing my braincells.” He turned to George. “Hey, Georgie?”

“Yeah?”

Jordon held up the mortar and pestle he had in his hands. “I have no idea how I know how to use this. I feel like an anti-vax mom. These herbs aren’t gonna do shit for Jay’s shoulder.”

George shrugged, ice spreading across the ground from where he sat. “Just slap some medicine on there and call it good. It’ll probably do something, at least.”

“There’s nothing wrong with anti-vax moms, by the way,” Jeff mumbled.

“You only think that because you are an anti-vax mom,” Jordon muttered back. He scooped up some of the medicinal paste he’d made in his mortar and spread it across Jorel’s shoulder.

Jorel cringed. “Feels weird.”

“That sounds like a you problem,” Jordon said.

Matt leaned against Claire. “So, I know we’re all kind of avoiding the subject, but what the hell are we gonna do about Aron and Arina? Should we go after them? Should we—?”

“We’re not killing them,” Jorel interrupted. “I don’t care what they do, we’re not killing them.”

A cloud of shadows drifted over to Jorel and rested in front of him, and it took Jorel a moment to realize that it was Dylan. Jorel ignored him and looked at George, waiting for a response.

George looked at Jeff, who rolled his eyes and turned away. George sighed. “Jorel—”

“No,” Jorel snapped. “We won’t. We’re going to work this out with them. We didn’t kill Jeff a thousand years ago when he was doing his weird shit, so why the hell would we change the rules for Aron and Arina?”

“Jeff wasn’t as powerful as they are,” George said. “No offence, Jeff.”

Jeff shrugged. “None taken.”

Jorel narrowed his eyes at George, anger building up in his gut. “George, no. We’re not killing them. Do you really want to kill _more_ people?”

Danny blinked. “What are you talking about?”

George tensed. Ice crackled towards the fire. “It was two thousand years ago,” he said quietly. “Monarch and I—”

“Killed about a million people,” Jorel said. “You massacred hundreds of thousands of people for little to no reason.”

Everyone turned to stare at George. “You didn’t mention that before,” Matt said.

“You told us that a couple months ago,” Jordon whispered, “but I thought you were just exaggerating for the story.”

George swallowed. “Look, it was a long time ago. Two thousand years ago. A lot can change in two thousand years.”

Jorel gently shrugged Jordon’s hand off his shoulder and reached with his good arm towards his backpack. Tiger scampered through Dylan the shadow cloud and rested on Jorel’s lap as he brought out the book he’d taken from Arina’s library. “I found this in the castle. It says a bunch of shit about you killing people.”

Ice creeped closer to the fire. It didn’t melt from the heat. “We couldn’t control ourselves,” George said. “There were so many of them. We could have died. We panicked, and it was the only way we could think of to fight back.”

“You didn’t have to kill _everyone_ ,” Jorel protested. “You told us that there were people who were running away, and you killed them, too.”

“We weren’t in our right minds.” Frost crackled further across the ground as George put his face in his hands. “I know we killed people. I wish we never had. I’m sorry, I didn’t mean to do any of it.”

Jorel set the book on the ground. “Look, I’m just saying, if you kill Aron and Arina, that’s just adding two more people to your already huge body count—”

Ice shot across the ground. A fan of ice spikes froze over the firewood and snuffed out the flames, plunging them into darkness.

Lion breathed glowing mist on the ground so they could see. George looked up. “Sorry,” he muttered. “I... I don’t wanna talk about this anymore.” He stood and walked around Monarch’s side. He hopped over Monarch’s paw and settled in the crook between Monarch’s arm and neck, the top of his head just visible. Monarch purred and rested his chin on the ground.

Jeff shot Jorel a glare. “Dude, if you wanna paint someone as the bad guy here, do it to me. George did that two thousand years ago. I feel like I had my murderous phase about four months ago. He doesn’t deserve it.”

Dylan swirled around Jorel as if he was agitated. He fluttered up in Jorel’s face, and Jorel scowled and waved him away. Dylan darted over to Monarch and wriggled under his arm to join George. Dove and Grenade squawked from somewhere in the darkness and scurried after him.

Jordon dug through his leather bag and brought out a roll of cloth bandages. He started wrapping them around Jorel’s shoulder. No one said a word. It wasn’t often that George and Jorel got in a fight, and it was even rarer for George to back out of a fight between him and Jorel. The air was tense.

Jeff looked at his watch again. “Well! This has been lovely, but I have things to do. Shade is probably hungry, so I’m gonna take him to do some hunting.” He stood and clambered onto Shade’s back. “Don’t fuck anything up while I’m gone!”

Shade stood and stretched his wings. He yawned, and then launched into the air. A gust of wind blew from his wings, sending Lion’s glowing mist drifting across the ground. She spewed a fresh stream from her mouth to keep the area lit up.

Matt pressed his lips into a thin line. He pushed himself to his feet. “Y’know, I think I might go for a flight with Saint. I still gotta get used to flying again, so...” He let his sentence trail off when no one responded. He stood and walked across the Keep towards Saint, Claire trotting happily along behind him.

Jorel tracked Saint with his gaze as she lifted off into the sky. The rest of them were plunged into silence as soon as Matt and his two dragons disappeared.

Jordon tore off a length of bandage and lowered it over Jorel. “What are you doing?” Jorel asked as Jordon started tying the ends together behind Jorel’s neck.

“You’re gonna need a sling to make sure you don’t fuck up your shoulder more.” Jordon took Jorel’s injured arm and slipped it through the sling.

“He won’t be able to fight with his arm in a sling,” Danny pointed out.

“Then maybe he just shouldn’t fight.” Jordon scooted away from Jorel and leaned against Viral. “I hope that helps with your shoulder.”

Jorel just grunted in response as Tiger scampered onto his shoulders. He still couldn’t believe that George had actually killed that many people. Sure, it was two thousand years ago, but he had been frozen in time for the first thousand and dead for the next thousand. How long ago did it feel for him? How dangerous was he still?

Danny heaved a great sigh. “Look, I’m getting tired. I’m gonna go find somewhere to sleep, if that’s okay with you.”

He pushed himself to his feet, and Lion stood with him. They walked off into the darkness, Lion trailing her glowing mist breath as she trotted at Danny’s side and left the rest of them in darkness.

“I might crash too,” Jordon mumbled. He raised a hand to his mouth and yawned into it. “Wake me when Jeff gets back.” He curled up against Viral’s side and closed his eyes. He was snoring within minutes.

Jorel glared down at his arm in its sling. Tiger nudged his face and whimpered, as if she could sense his distress. He reached his hand up to pet her. He wanted to go back home, but he couldn’t do that. He didn’t have a dragon he could fly on, and surely none of the other dragons would fly him back to Los Angeles.

Jorel took his arm out of the sling and pulled his shirt back on. He winced as he moved his shoulder. He was lucky his entire arm didn’t jerk out of its socket or something.

He put his arm back in the sling and grabbed his backpack. He shoved the book he’d taken from Arina’s library inside and pulled a blanket out. He hadn’t brought a sleeping bag or anything, which would have been useful in hindsight, but at least he had something.

He lied down and rested his head on his backpack. He draped the blanket over him and Tiger. She snuggled into his chest, and despite the fact that he couldn’t remember much of anything about his past, the feeling of this tiny dragon cuddling up to him was familiar. He shut his eyes and tried his best to block out his thoughts so he could sleep.

George leaned back against Monarch’s arm with a sigh. Dove and Grenade had lied down on either side of him. They didn’t seem to mind the ice on the ground around him. Dylan, still a shadowy cloud, had nestled on George’s lap. The mist that drifted off his shadowy form was cold to the touch, but it’s not like the cold bothered George anyway. He was practically covered in ice.

George looked up at Monarch. “Bud?”

 _Yes?_ Monarch’s voice rumbled.

“Do you ever wish we didn’t do what we did?”

Monarch was silent for a moment. _Many times,_ he said finally. _I’ve looked back on that too many times to count. I do wish that we had been able to hold ourselves back, but I’m also afraid that if we hadn’t done what we did, we would have died._

George nodded slowly as Dylan swirled up to his shoulders. “Yeah, I guess.”

Grenade gently nudged George’s hand and whimpered. George scratched Grenade on the head. “This entire situation sucks,” George mumbled. He wasn’t sure if he was talking to Monarch or Dylan. “I wanted to make up with Aron, despite all the shit he’s done. I don’t know how well the other guys are handling it, and I don’t think I’m handling it very well, and Jorel definitely isn’t doing well, and...” He heaved a great sigh. “Dyl, do you want to go home?”

Dylan drifted back onto George’s lap. He didn’t materialize to give an answer. He just swirled around as a cloud of dark mist. George offhandedly wondered if Dylan just couldn’t gain a physical form, but George couldn’t think of a single reason why Dylan would be too exhausted to regain a normal shape.

George took a deep breath and hugged his cloak around his shoulders. He’d forgotten to bring a blanket in his bag, but he was pretty sure he wouldn’t need one. He huddled into the crook between Monarch’s chest and arm. Dove and Grenade curled up on either side of him, and Dylan remained a shadowy cloud on George’s lap. George rested his head on Monarch’s arm and closed his eyes.

“I’m gonna go to sleep,” he muttered. “G’night, Monarch.”

Monarch’s throat rumbled as he rested his head on the ground. _Goodnight, George._


	20. Destiny

Reese gazed in awe at Anna as soon as she stopped talking. “And Dylan told you all of that?” she whispered.

Anna nodded. She bounced Holly on her lap. She seemed a little nervous, and none of the other ladies could blame her. Everything she just told them was...

“Ridiculous,” Vanessa muttered. She stroked one of her cats, with Tiger perched on her shoulder. Asia had no idea how Vanessa had such a way with felines. She bet Vanessa could tame a real tiger and keep it as a pet if she wanted.

“Why didn’t Danny tell me this?” Reese mumbled, her eyes wide with shock.

“He doesn’t know,” Anna said. “He doesn’t know most of what Dylan told me. Dylan said he probably shouldn’t tell me everything, but he said he couldn’t keep hiding things from me anymore. He didn’t tell me I couldn’t tell you guys, so...” She shrugged. “I thought things might make more sense if you knew.”

“No it doesn’t,” Randi said. “None of this makes any sense. We were alive a thousand years ago in some magical realm called Angeles, and we were somehow reincarnated along with the rest of the people in that realm after it was destroyed.”

“It doesn’t make a lot of sense,” Reese agreed. She kept her fingers looped through Louie’s collar to keep him from chasing after Asia’s cat. “It’s hard to believe.”

“But it feels right,” Asia admitted. “Doesn’t it? I mean, maybe it doesn’t make much sense, but something about it sounds right.”

Randi tapped her foot on the floor. She had to admit that Asia was right. Nothing about the wild story Anna had just told them felt wrong, despite how absolutely ridiculous it sounded. The idea of living in a world with dragons was a concept that was oddly familiar to her. 

“But you believed him?” Reese mumbled. “Just like that?”

Anna shrugged. “Well, it was hard not to when I actually saw the dragons.”

Vanessa nodded. “Jorel brought a dragon in here. As wild as this whole thing sounds... I believe it.” She reached up and scratched Tiger under his chin. “The dragon’s name was Tiger, actually. We’re calling her Tiger Senior.” Tiger meowed at the sound of his name. 

“Tiger and his dragon friend aside,” Asia said, “the stuff you told us Dylan said just feels like the truth.”

“But what do we do about it?” Reese asked. Scarlett scooted closer to her on the couch, and Reese wrapped an arm around her. Maybe they should have gotten Ava and Scarlett out of the room before they started discussing this, but the two of them would have found a way to eavesdrop anyway. Kids always wanted to hear things they weren’t supposed to. 

“I feel like we should help them,” Asia said. She still had that strange old sword on her hip, and she rested her hand on the pommel as she spoke. She shot a sideways glance at Ava, who was sitting at the dining table, waiting for her painted nails to fully dry. “But we still have to hold down the fort here,” she added quietly. 

Randi heaved a sigh. She wanted more than anything to go find Jordon and help him with all of this, but she still had Jack and James to take care of. She couldn’t just go. Besides, Anna said that they didn’t even know where this “Emperor’s Keep” was at the moment. All they knew was that it was out west somewhere. Would they have to take a boat to find it since none of them had dragons? Was anyone even allowed to leave Los Angeles due to the disaster that had just occurred?

Reese bounced Roman on her lap, staring at the floor. “I’m sorry, I’m still having a hard time processing this. You’re trying to tell me that almost everyone in Los Angeles was alive a thousand years ago, and we all died, but we came back to life because the person who ended the world made it specifically so that everyone would get a second chance at life.” She shook her head lightly. “I just can’t believe it. I mean, I do believe it, but it’s absolutely nuts.”

“Yeah, it is,” Anna said. She watched as Holly picked up a crayon and started scribbling in the colouring book in front of her. “I’m still finding it difficult to believe, too.”

All of them fell into the silence, the only sound the scratching of Holly’s crayon on paper. Randi’s head spun with all this new information.

After all, it was pretty jarring when someone told you that Dylan Peter Alvarez of all people was the one who destroyed the world.

* * *

“Where are we going?”

Arina glanced back at Aron, who she was pulling along behind her as she walked. “We’re going to get your armor. Watch your step here.”

She hopped over a pointed black rock in the ground. Aron stumbled over it, and Nine grabbed his cloak in his mouth to keep him upright. “Wait,” Aron said as her sentence processed in his mind. “We’re going back to Jeff’s place? Didn’t we just run from them?”

“We ran because we aren’t prepared to fight them,” Arina said. “You need your armor, and you need to remember how to fight.”

“If we can’t fight them, why are we going right to them?”

Arina grinned, a mischievous light in her eyes. “We’re going to sneak in.”

Aron couldn’t help but smile a little. Despite all the shit going on and the confused thoughts swirling around in his head, this was still his sister. That was the exact same look she got on her face when she was about to do something particularly stupid. 

“I know everything is confusing for you right now,” Arina said as her dragon curled tighter around her shoulders, “but I’ll try to explain everything as best I can. We just need to get your armor back first.”

Aron glanced back at Nine, who shrugged. Nine actually seemed to know more about this entire situation, and Aron wished more than anything that he could speak. Then Nine could have told him everything before all of this went down. If Aron had known about Arina beforehand, then maybe he and Jorel...

Aron shook the thought from his head. There was no use trying to think of how things could have gone. What happened already happened, and there was no way to change it, despite how much he had wished it had turned out differently. A small bolt of anger shot through Aron when he thought about how Jorel had already known Arina was involved and didn’t even bother to tell him. Arina was Aron’s sister! He deserved to know!

Aron stared up at the towering black rocks that stood in front of them. Smaller obsidian spikes stood around them, and he skirted around one as they grew closer to the cluster of rocks that made up Jeff’s Keep. Aron still didn’t really know what a “Keep” was, but he hope Arina could shed some light on it later.

Arina rushed up to one rock sticking out at an angle, her armor clanking along the way. She paused in front of it and turned back to Aron. “It’s under here. Do you want to try opening it, or...?”

Aron hesitated. Ever since what happened at Arina’s castle, a sort of energy buzzed within him, but now he couldn’t access it if he tried. He’d been able to somehow summon all those black rocks back in the castle, but he hadn’t even been trying then. It seemed like this strange power was just refusing to work with him now.

Arina gave him a sympathetic look, as if she knew exactly what he was thinking. “It’s okay. I’ll take this one.”

She set her hand on the side of the rock. The ground trembled slightly as it began to tilt the opposite way, like the hand of a clock. It angled itself the other direction, revealing a hole in the ground that had been hiding under the overhang of the obsidian spike.

Arina crouched on the ground and swung her legs into the hole. “Come on.” She twisted around and lowered herself below the ground.

Aron rushed up to the hole and stared down. Arina was climbing down a ladder that was embedded in the wall. Her dragon’s eyes sparked with electricity as they descended into the darkness.

Aron hesitated. If he stayed with Arina, was there no chance he’d be able to make things work with Jorel again?

Nine nudged his shoulder with a grunt. Aron took a deep breath. He’d already chosen this. There was no use turning back now.

He lowered himself onto the ladder and followed Arina downwards. Nine folded in his wings and crawled in after him, claws digging into the walls as he squeezed into the hole.

They descended into the ground. The only light available was the sparking of Arina’s dragon’s eyes.

Arina’s feet thudded on the ground. “Watch your step,” she said. “There’s a rung missing.”

Aron glanced down. Arina had stepped aside to give him some room. Aron let go of the ladder and let himself fall the rest of the way. He stumbled in the landing, but he managed to keep himself from falling over. Nine skittered down the wall after him.

Arina knelt and braced her fingers in a crack in the stone wall. “It’s just through here.” She pulled up, and a small section of rock rose into the wall. She shimmied through into whatever room was beyond the secret passage.

Aron tried not to second guess himself as he crouched down and crawled through the passage after her. He hit his head on the rock and hissed in pain.

He looked up as he emerged in the room beyond. To his surprise, it was the room with the armor stands Jeff had shown them just earlier that day. The blue torches flickered on the walls, and the chains dangled from the ceiling, their metal reflecting the blue light of the flames.

Arina walked up to the stand that still had armor hanging off it. “This is yours.” Her dragon sniffed at the metal armor on the stand.

Aron furrowed his brow as he pushed himself to his feet. He was hit with a wave of déjà vu, as if he’d seen a similar scene like this play out before.

Nine squeezed through the passage and scampered over to Aron. He blinked at Aron, then motioned his head towards the armor. _What are you waiting for?_ he seemed to be asking.

Aron approached the armor stand. It was a bit difficult to see in the dim light, but he could just make out the details of the armor in front of him. The right shoulder was guarded by a pauldron, and a one-shouldered cape hung off the left arm. He walked around so he could see the front. Carved onto the black chestplate were the Roman numerals “IX”, and they were painted over with a bright pink. The cape was same bright shade of pink, contrasting with the black metal of the armor. A spear was strapped to the back.

Arina stared at him with an uncertain look in her eyes. “You know you don’t have to do this,” she said quietly. “If you really want to, you can stay with them.”

Aron paused. He considered his options. He could just go back to the other guys and apologize for running off, and maybe he others would forgive him, and he could convince Arina to stop whatever it was she was doing. 

He turned back to the set of armor. It gleamed in the dim light, the numerals on the front practically glowing in the darkness.

He reached up and unclasped his cloak. “Can you help me put this stuff on?”

Arina’s eyes lit up. “Sure.”

She started taking pieces of armor off the stand. Aron let his cloak pool on the ground as Arina lifted the chestplate off the stand as if it weighed nothing. “Alright, chestplate first.”

It was a little difficult to get some of the armor on, but Aron managed to squeeze into it. Everything fit perfectly, as if it had been moulded to his body. He always thought armor would be heavy and clunky, but he had never worn something so comfortable before. 

He clasped the one-shouldered cape around him as Arina strapped the spear to the back of his chestplate. Something about wearing this armor just felt right. 

Arina stepped back. “There you go. Does it fit okay?”

Aron nodded, staring down at himself in wonder. “Yeah, it’s perfect.” He glanced down at his dual swords, which he’d tossed on the ground with his cloak. “I’m not used to using a spear, though.” He reached back and took the spear off his back. He hefted it in his hands, testing its weight. 

“Are you complaining?” Arina asked.

Aron shook his head and swung the spear around him. “Nah. This is sick.” He twirled it in one hand and slammed the pommel on the ground with a smile.

He looked up at Arina. She had drawn her spear and was leaning on it, looking from Aron’s swords to his face. Aron couldn’t help but notice that she held her spear in her right hand, opposite to Aron. The numerals on her chestplate, XI, reflected his, and her cape rested on her right arm instead of her left. The two of them mirrored each other perfectly.

It was then that Aron made a decision: he wasn’t going to leave his sister behind, no matter what happened.

He turned back to the passage they had gone through. “Where to now?”

Arina grinned. “Back to the stronghold. We’ll rest up and figure things out tomorrow. There’s some stuff you’re going to need to know.”

She turned and walked back towards the passage, spear tapping on the ground. Aron exchanged a glance with Nine. He just shrugged, his pink eyes staring at Aron expectantly.

Aron grinned and followed her to the exit.


	21. Enemy

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> OKAY, so I know it's been a hot minute since I updated this. I've been working more and I also started writing a Sanders Sides fic, and I don't have the emotional or mental capacity to consistently work on two fics at once. I might change my update schedule to once every two weeks. Also, I'm probably going to provide brief recaps of what happened in the last chapter every time I post so no one has to go back to the last chapter to try and remember what the hell happened last time. sorry for the lack of updates, please be patient with me, i'm doing my best with what little motivation i have :)
> 
> Last time: The remaining heroes returned to the Emperor's Keep to gather their thoughts after Aron ran off with his sister. Jorel confronted George about his past mistakes from two thousand years ago, and George decided to go to sleep to remove himself from the situation. Jeff and Shade flew off while the others retired for the night. Aron and Arina snuck into the Keep at night to retrieve Aron's armor. Back in the city, Anna told the other ladies about what Dylan told her, and Randi is shocked to hear that Dylan is the one who caused the destruction of the realm of Angeles a thousand years ago.

_George, wake up._

George’s eyes fluttered open. As soon as he woke, a flash of cold washed over his body. He shivered and squinted down at himself in the sunlight. The ice around him had melted, surrounding him in a puddle of water. Dove and Grenade were still sleeping on either side of him, and Dylan had gone from an incorporeal shadow to a solid human body. His head rested on George’s lap. He grunted in his sleep, arms wrapped around his stomach as if he was nauseous. The power surge must have ended not too long ago.

George looked up at Monarch. “What is it?”

Monarch pointedly looked upward. _The maniacs are back._

George furrowed his brow and followed his gaze. Through the narrow opening of black rocks, he spotted a white shape swooping down towards them.

Shade flew through the opening and landed gently on the ground, just narrowly missing Saint’s wing. He lowered his head to the ground, and Jeff slid out of the field of quills and landed on the ground. He stumbled in the landing and almost fell on his face. Shade purred and nudged Jeff with his snout. He looked concerned. Jeff scratched Shade under the chin.

“Stay here, bud,” he muttered. “‘M just gonna go to the workshop.”

He trudged across the Keep to the centre of the circle of rocks. He pulled the key out of his coat pocket and jammed it in the ground. Cyan lines spread across the ground, forming the outline of a trapdoor that swung downward to reveal the stairs that led to his workshop. He jogged down the stairs, and George heard a muffled curse as Jeff stumbled on his feet.

“Why is he just coming back now?” George mumbled.

 _Not sure_ , Monarch responded. _I believe he and Shade were out all night. Doing what, I don’t know. Maybe you should ask Jeffrey, and I’ll question Shade._

George looked down at Dylan. “But he’s sleeping on me. I don’t wanna disturb him.”

 _George_ , Monarch said firmly.

George heaved a sigh. “Fine.”

He gently lifted Dylan’s head off his lap and scooted out from under him. He carefully laid Dylan’s head on the ground, trying his best not to wake him. Dylan whined and curled in on himself at the movement, but he didn’t wake up and go rush off to puke or anything, so George stepped over him and tiptoed towards the stairs. Shade watched him, but he didn’t growl in protest, so George took that as Shade allowing him to go talk to his rider.

George slowly made his way down the steps. He could hear Jeff rummaging around in the workshop below, muttering curse words and tossing things around.

George reached the bottom of the stairs and stared out into the workshop. Jeff was messing with a bunch of thin pieces of metal, twisting them together at random as he paced back and forth. He stared at the wall with a blank look in his eyes as he fiddled with the metal.

George leaned against the wall. He wanted to see how long it would take Jeff to notice him.

Jeff continued to pace. His steps slowed, and he accidentally stepped on the heel of his own boot. He tripped and crashed into a table, the scrap metal falling from his hands and hitting the floor. He blinked, as if he was having trouble processing what had just happened.

He stayed there, half laying on the table and staring into space, for at least ten seconds. George decided that Jeff wasn’t going to speak or move until something happened to snap him out of it.

“Jeff,” George said.

Jeff blinked. His gaze slowly moved to George, losing some of the blankness it held before. “Wh...” He looked at George like he was some kind of alien. “When did you...” He sat up a little. “Fuck, hang on. When—when did I... when the fuck did I get here?”

“You and Shade dropped in about a minute ago,” George answered. “You came right down here and started messing with a bunch of metal.”

Jeff stared at him in wonder. “Oh. Oh, right. Right.” He shook his head vigorously, as if fighting to stay awake. “Sorry.”

George raised an eyebrow as Jeff struggled to push himself completely upright. “How much did you sleep last night?”

Jeff waved a hand dismissively. “About... about thirty.”

“Minutes?”

“Seconds.”

George’s eyes widened. “What the hell were you doing all night?”

Jeff dug into his pockets. “Tryna find supplies ‘n shit like that. Hey, quick question, is it normal to be super dizzy after wandering around at night for about twelve hours straight?”

“No. Jeff, you need to sleep.”

“I’m fine.” Jeff grabbed a tool off the table he’d fallen into and pointed it at George. “Now! If you’ll excuse me, I’m gonna go fix something with this screwdriver.”

George looked at the tool in Jeff’s hand. “That’s a wrench.”

“I knew that!” Jeff turned on his heel and marched confidently towards another table. He stumbled a little, but he managed to stay upright.

Meanwhile, Dylan was having a few issues of his own.

He had woken up to his stomach churning, and it registered in his head that the power surge Jeff told them about must have ended, but that thought quickly left his mind as he almost threw up in his mouth. Maybe he should spend less time as a full shadow. If he kept a little bit of solidity to his form, maybe he would be less nauseous, but having a body lately was just too much pressure. When he was a shadow, he didn’t have to talk to anyone or harbor any normal responsibilities. He could just drift around as much as he wanted and not have to deal with anything.

But that little bit of freedom wasn’t going to help his food stay inside his body. He doubled over on the ground with a pained groan. Dove whimpered and nudged him with her snout as Grenade curled up next to him. Dylan appreciated the concern, but it didn’t help much.

“Here.”

Dylan glanced up to see Jordon sitting criss-cross on the ground in front of him, a thermos cap held in his hands. He held it out to Dylan. “This might help. It’s ginger tea.”

Dylan hesitantly sat up, stomach churning. “You can make tea?” he muttered.

Jordon shrugged. “Jeff gave me a shit ton of herbs last night, and I know ginger helps with nausea, so Viral heated up some water and I put some ginger in it. You threw up last time this happened, and I saw Georgie walking around without ice all over him, so I figured you might need this.”

Dylan’s nausea was almost forgotten. It was rare that Jordon did something so thoughtful. Not that he wasn’t a kind person, of course, but this kind of thing was usually reserved for Danny.

Dylan hesitantly took the thermos mug from Jordon’s hands. “Thank you,” he said quietly.

Jordon scooted closer so he was sitting right next to Dylan. “Are you okay?” he asked, a pang of concern in his voice.

Dylan was taken aback by the question. “Yeah. Why wouldn’t I be?”

“You seemed really stressed yesterday,” Jordon pointed out. “And I know it doesn’t hurt you to be a cloud all the time, aside from the obvious nausea when you come back to this, but it concerns me that you’re...” He paused. “How do I put this? You’re not Funny Man. You’re not the Dyl I usually know. Did you recently remember our thousand-years-ago lives like Jeff did?”

Dylan shook his head and took a sip of the ginger tea Jordon had made. “No. I knew ever since I was eighteen.”

Jordon’s eyes widened a little. “You’ve known everything this whole time? Before we even started Hollywood Undead?”

Dylan nodded. “Yeah. It was weird back then. Still kinda weird now. I was still basically a kid when I figured it out, and then HU happened, and I... I didn’t know what to do with my life. I just went with the band because I knew we used to be best friends, and Danny was going to be part of it and I wanted to be friends with him again, and...” He took a deep breath. “I don’t know, it is a little bit stressful. I wanted to tell you guys everything yesterday so we could get it over with and help you guys recover from that and figure things out before Arina attacked us, but she was in her stronghold. We couldn’t risk not having you guys battle-ready, because if she was planning on doing something in there that she shouldn’t have done, we would have had a huge mess on our hands.”

Jordon furrowed his brow and stared down at the ground. “I’m not going to ask what you were afraid of her doing, because you probably can’t tell me, but...” He gently nudged Dylan with his elbow. “You can talk to me if anything gets too stressful, man. You’re my best homie. I worry about you.”

Dylan couldn’t help but smile a little. Despite everything, Jordon was still his best friend, someone Dylan could depend on.

Footsteps pounded behind them, and Dylan glanced back to see George hopping back up through the trapdoor that led to Jeff’s workshop. His gaze fell on Dylan. “Hey, you’re awake. You feeling okay?”

Dylan nodded. “Yeah. Jeff went downstairs?”

“Yep. I don’t think he’s slept much at all.”

“You don’t need sleep when you’re trying to save the world!” Jeff’s voice shouted from the stairwell, followed by a loud crashing and some furious cursing.

“What is he doing down there?” Jordon asked.

“Not sure,” George said. He glanced down the stairs. “But he’s gonna wake everyone else up if we don’t. You guys might as well go down there. I’ll wake up the others and we’ll all figure out our next move.”

“Sounds good.” Dylan pushed himself to his feet, but a wave of nausea washed over him and he almost crumpled to the ground again. He wished he could just dissolve into shadows again.

Jordon grabbed Dylan’s arm and slung it around his shoulders. “I gotcha, man.”

Dylan held the thermos cap with his other hand and leaned on Jordon as they walked over to the stairs. His stomach turned, but he took another sip of the tea Jordon made in hopes that it would help. Dove and Grenade both nudged Dylan and whined in concern as they walked away.

In Jeff’s workshop at the bottom of the stairs, it was a disaster. Of course, it had been a disaster before, but it looked like Jeff had crashed into multiple tables and scattered their contents all over the place. Jeff was frantically scribbling on a small whiteboard on the right wall with a dry erase marker. Dozens of numbers and letters littered the board. Just the sight of them gave Dylan a headache. How Jeff could do math when he was so sleep deprived was a mystery.

“Exactly how long have you been awake?” Dylan asked.

“Thirty-six hours,” Jeff said. “Give or take.” He scribbled something incomprehensible on his whiteboard. “Now shut up, your voice is too loud. I can’t see when you talk.”

Dylan exchanged a worried glance with Jordon. “He’s not okay,” Jordon mouthed.

Dylan shook his head. “He needs a nap.”

“I can hear you!” Jeff grabbed something off a table and raised it to the white board. He dragged it across the board, seemingly unaware that what he had grabbed was a hammer and not an eraser.

Danny and Matt stepped off the stairs, both rubbing their eyes sleepily. “The hell is this maniac doing?” Matt mumbled.

“Trying to figure out when the next power surge is going to be, you absolute idiot!” Jeff shouted. “Now be fucking quiet so I can concentrate! I can’t see what I’m writing when you’re all yelling at me!”

“We’re not yelling,” Dylan pointed out.

“It looks like you are!” Jeff briefly put his face in his hands. “Or feels like it! I don’t know! Just be quiet, please!”

George stepped into the room after Danny and Matt. “He’s just tired,” he whispered. “Don’t blame him for being overwhelmed.”

Jeff dropped his dry erase marker, still staring at the whiteboard. He blinked as is he was disoriented. He turned away from the board and rested his elbows on a table, brows furrowed in thought. He lowered his head into his hands with a sigh. “I can’t do math,” he mumbled.

More footsteps made their way down the stairs, and Jorel emerged into the room, his injured arm still in its sling. He glanced around with wide eyes. “What the hell happened here?”

“Jeff happened,” Dylan whispered.

Jeff raised his head. “Sorry. I’m... I’m okay. I...” He paused. “Wait a god damn second.”

He straightened and walked over to the doors at the other end of the room. The chains previously binding the doors were still on the ground, and Jeff kicked them aside as he grabbed the door handles. He pulled the doors open and stared into the room beyond. His shoulders slumped. He turned back to look at the others.

“Aron was here.”

“What?” Jorel pushed past Danny and rushed to the doors. He nudged Jeff aside and looked into the room.

George followed after him, and the rest of them were hot on his heels. George peered over Jorel’s shoulder at the armor stands in Arina’s old prison.

Both stands were empty. On the floor next to the one that had once held a suit of armor was a pool of shiny fabric, and tossed on top of it was a pair of sheathed swords.

Jorel stared down at Aron’s cloak and swords. Aron had come here. He was in the Keep, and he knew the rest of them were there, and he didn’t even say goodbye or anything. He just grabbed his armor and left. Aron had chosen to stay with Arina. He could have at least tried to tell Jorel, or even texted him or something, but it looked like he’d completely switched sides now.

George gently brushed past Jorel and walked into the room. “Well. Looks like we’re officially down one hero.”

Dylan glanced at Jeff. “We don’t have to be.”

Everyone turned their eyes to Jeff. He blinked at them in confusion. “What?”

Dylan waved towards Aron’s stuff. “If you wanna be an official hero, here’s your chance.”

Jeff gazed at them as this information sank in. His eyes lit up and he gasped in excitement. “Seriously?”

George shrugged. “Why not? We’ve got a vacancy.”

A smile split across Jeff’s face. He rushed forward and snatched up the swords. “I’ve always wanted to get my hands on these!” he said, strapping the sheaths to his back.

Jordon leaned in to talk to George. “Are you a hundred percent sure about this? He’s kind of...”

“Eccentric?” Danny suggested.

“Yeah, that.”

“It’ll be fine,” George said. “Jeff, you’re officially a hero. Congrats.”

As soon as the words were out of his mouth, something in the air changed. It was as if George’s decision to make Jeff a hero completed the group somehow, despite the fact that Aron was gone.

“I still don’t think this is a good idea,” Jorel muttered.

“There’s nothing wrong with Jeff being a hero,” Dylan said. “How bad can he be?”

Jorel scowled. _He’s not Aron_ , he thought, but he didn’t voice his concerns. Aron had been perfectly fine before all of this shit went down. Jorel had been so close to making up with him, but because Dylan didn’t want to tell Aron about Arina, he went off the rails, and now they were stuck with a lunatic in his place.

Jeff picked up Aron’s shiny cloak and stared at the pink 9 on the back with a look of disdain. “This isn’t going to match my aesthetic,” he grumbled as he made his way towards the doors.

George stepped aside to let Jeff back into the workshop. “Are you sure about that?”

Jeff scoffed. “Uh, yeah. Look at it. It’s all shiny and...” He stopped and stared at the cloak. “What the fuck is it doing?”

Jordon peeked over Dylan shoulder to look. The fabric of the cloak rippled like liquid. The previous shine of the cloak dulled down, and it morphed from silver fabric to brown leather. White paisley designs snaked across the leather, and in the middle of the cape, the initials SF rippled into existence.

Jeff stared at it in awe. “Oh my god.” He examined the inside of the cape. “It has zip-up pockets! George, this is amazing! I love it!”

He reached into the pockets of his long coat and started pulling out random things: pieces of metal, bags of herbs, small tools, and a variety of tiny gadgets. He shucked off his coat, revealing a button-up shirt, which Jorel found odd. Shady Jeff, wearing a shirt that wasn’t an old raggedy t-shirt? It was almost unthinkable. However, he was a very different person now, and he seemed to like this weird “steampunk mechanic” aesthetic he had going on. Maybe it was just to stick with his overall theme.

He briefly took off the sword sheathes so he could drape his new cloak over his shoulders. He gasped softly. “Oh, it’s got little spikes on the shoulders! They look like tiny versions of Shade’s quills!” He looked up at George, eyes gleaming with tears. “Georgie, this is amazing!”

George nodded and hesitantly patted Jeff on the arm. “Yeah, I think this is the sleep deprivation talking.”

“Probably.” Jeff tugged his long leather gloves further up his arms and shook his head. “I’m good. I’m fine. I just...” He took a deep breath. “Yeah, okay.” He tossed his long coat onto a table and started shoving all of his things into the pockets of his cloak. “I’m gonna get to work calculating the next power surge. You guys don’t wreck anything.”

“You’ve already wrecked everything,” Jorel pointed out. Jeff didn’t seem to hear him, and just returned to scribbling on his whiteboard with his marker.

Dylan turned to the others. “Well, that’s done. I guess we should figure out what to do next?”

George nodded. “We’ll grab something to eat and then ask Jeff if he can sense Arina and Aron anywhere on the island.”

He made his way back to the stairs, and Dylan followed close behind. Jordon and Danny rushed after them. Jorel scowled, still unhappy with this development, but he shoved his one hand in his pocket and trudged after them.

Matt went to follow them, but he glanced back at Jeff. “Hey, are you sure you’re okay?”

Jeff nodded. “Yeah. Sorry I called you an idiot earlier. Lost my temper.” He erased a string of numbers off the board and frantically wrote new ones in their place. “Don’t worry about me. I’m totally fine.”

Matt didn’t quite believe him, but trying to argue with Shady Jeff was like trying to move a wall. “Well, I’ll bring you some breakfast.”

Jeff just grunted in response as he furiously scribbled on the board. He seemed to have forgotten Matt was there.

* * *

Aron kicked his legs back and forth as he sat on the railing of the balcony that jutted out from the tallest tower of Arina’s castle. Nine was next to him, paws resting on the railing, one wing draped around Aron’s shoulders. Aron hadn’t put his armor back on when he woke up, but he did put on the one-shouldered cape and strap his new spear to his back. Something about wearing the cape just felt right, like it was made for him.

He and Arina had returned to Arina’s stronghold the night before. There, Arina had shown him to one of the bedrooms and promised she would explain some things in the morning. Aron was just waiting for her to wake up so they could try getting him to remember everything that happened a thousand years ago.

He heard the balcony doors open behind him and glanced back. Arina shuffled onto the balcony, rubbing her eyes sleepily. Her dragon, who Aron had learned was named Eleven, was curled around her shoulders. She leaned against the railing.

“Hey dumbass,” she mumbled as she gently elbowed Aron in greeting. “Didja sleep okay?”

Aron nodded and stared out at the sunrise. “Better than I have in the past year.” That was true. He hardly slept well anymore, but he felt safe here.

Arina hoisted herself onto the railing and sat next to Aron. Her bright blue cape fluttered off her one shoulder. “That’s good at least,” she muttered. She looked down at the ground far, far below them. “We’re gonna have to go get us some breakfast.”

“As long as you’re not the one cooking it,” Aron snorted.

Arina playfully smacked his arm. “I’m not that bad of a cook.”

“You once burned a grilled cheese sandwich. The entire thing was black.”

Arina crossed her arms. “And it was delicious.”

Aron chuckled. Arina was certainly different from the way she was the last time he saw her. She was less snappy, a bit more chill than she used to be. She didn’t anger as quick.

However, she was still just as determined and take-charge as always. Even though she was tired, Aron could practically see the gears turning in her head. She was coming up with some sort of plan, and although Aron had no idea what it would entail, he knew he would follow it. She may have been his little sister, but she was the leader of this operation. She knew more than he did, and he couldn’t even use his powers properly. He needed guidance, and Arina was going to be that for him.

“So, what now?” Aron asked.

Arina gazed into the sunset. “I think the rest of Angeles is about to emerge,” she said. “I can feel it.” She smirked. “I think those heroes are going to have their hands full for a while. That gives us time to figure out your powers.”

She turned and hopped back onto the balcony. “Come on. Let’s go jog your memory.”


	22. Live Fast Die Young

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> In the last flashback: The heroes traveled to an obscure island in Angeles called the Empire and found it populated by a culture of people who all participate in the dangerous trials in Angeles. They found that these people are regularly attacked by the undead soldiers that reside in multiple old battlegrounds around the realm. Jeffrey and Shade decided to check out the place to see if they can set up a Keep there, and the leader of one of the cities, Elizabeth, decided to show him where the current protector of the city resides, a dangerous warrior who they keep locked up and only unleash when the undead soldiers attack.

**One Thousand Years Ago**

Jorel kept his gaze on the black spikes that grew closer and closer as they flew. “Aron?” he called. “I get a bad feeling about this.”

Nine flew higher so he and Aron were flying right next to Jorel and Dove. “Me too, but we ain’t really got another choice. Jeffrey needs a place to stay so he can get out of our damn hair.”

Jorel took a deep breath. “Yeah.” He looked up at Monarch, Saint, and Shade. Those four “council members” or whatever they were had hitched a ride with George, something Jorel wasn’t too happy about. Those people were dangerous. If they somehow hurt George, even accidentally...

The group swooped down towards the pointed black rocks. Monarch flew down first, followed closely by Saint and Shade. Viral darted after them, as did Lion, Dove, Grenade, Nine, and their passengers. Jorel’s nerves weren’t eased at all when they landed. The black spikes towered above them, narrowing the opening from the top. If they had to fly out of there in a hurry, it would be difficult to get all of them out at once.

The four council people hopped off Monarch’s back. “This is just above her prison,” Elizabeth said, the crystal on her neck smoking with dark shadowy mist. “With you here,” she said to Jeff, “we won’t need her anymore. You can protect us instead.”

Jeff stared around the circle of rocks they’d landed in. “Looks cool,” he muttered. He shot a hesitant glance at the ground. “But what about this warrior lady? Isn’t she dangerous?”

“She is,” Elizabeth said. “But she’s safely locked away. You don’t have to worry.” She looked down at the ground. “However, maybe you could come up with something for us to do with her. You are basically taking her place as protector of our land, after all.”

Matt raised an eyebrow. “You’re not gonna lock him up, are you?”

Hera scoffed, the black twig on her neck swinging as she turned away from Matt. “Why the hell would we do that?”

Matt shrugged, a defensive feeling rising in him despite the fact that Jeff had been nothing but a pain for the past two months. “I don’t know, you guys are fucking around with magic you shouldn’t have, so forgive me if I don’t trust you.” Saint snarled in agreement.

Danny stepped between them. “Hey, chill out everyone. Jeff’s not going to get locked up. If he wants to stay here, that’s his choice.”

“Thank you, Daniel,” Jeff said. He crossed his arms. “And thank you, Matthew, for being concerned.” He looked at Elizabeth and the other council members. “Is it okay if I meet this warrior chick? I wanna check her vibe before I figure out if I wanna be her roommate.”

“Of course!” Elizabeth beamed. “I’m sure she’ll love to meet someone as legendary as a rider of a Great Dragon.”

Shade puffed his chest out with pride at the reminder that he was just as important as Saint and Monarch. Monarch snorted and rolled his eyes.

Elizabeth turned to Darius. “You have the key?”

Darius reached into the pocket of his coat and pulled out an old, rusty key. He cast a look of disdain at George. “Move your dragon.”

George was taken aback by the blatant order. He wasn’t usually told what to do.

Dylan crossed his arms and glared at Darius. “A ‘please’ would be nice.”

Flames flickered in Darius’s eyes and he sneered, but he feigned a smile at George. _“Please.”_ Venom dripped from his words.

George felt a little uncomfortable at the rudeness. Had he done something wrong? Well, that was a stupid question; he’d done so many things wrong in the past. Maybe Darius didn’t like him because he knew about everything that had happened a thousand years ago, before George went into hibernation with Monarch.

Monarch’s voice rumbled in his head. _It’s okay, George._ He stepped back, hopefully out of Darius’s way. _You’ve done nothing wrong._

George stepped back with Monarch. He didn’t want to be around Darius.

Darius stepped forward so he was standing roughly in the centre of the circle of rocks. He knelt and shoved the key into the dirt.

Bright cyan lines rippled outward from the key, forming the outline of a trapdoor. Darius stepped back as the door swung open, revealing a set of stairs leading down into the ground.

Darius stepped back, key in hand. He turned to Jeff with a genuine smile and motioned towards the stairs. “After you, rider.”

Jeff blinked. He looked at Darius, then glanced behind him as if there was someone else Darius might be referring to. He turned forward and pointed to himself, head tilted in question.

Elizabeth gestured to the stairs. “Go on ahead.”

A grin spread across Jeff’s face. He shot George a cocky smirk and walked over to the stairs, holding his head high.

Dylan leaned closer to George to whisper. “I still get a bad feeling about this,” he said as the others exchanged worried glances and followed Jeff to the stairs.

“Me too,” George admitted. “But I don’t think we have much of a choice.”

Dylan nodded. “Unfortunately.” He started after the others. “Let’s go.”

George shrank back at the glare Darius shot him as he passed. He stepped onto the stairs, and he cringed inwardly as Darius’s footsteps followed. Something about that guy just rubbed him the wrong way.

“This place looks cool,” Jeff muttered ahead of them as they walked. “Ten outta ten for aesthetics. The blue torches are a nice touch.”

“We didn’t light them,” Elizabeth said at the back of the group. “The warrior did. They’ve been burning for years.” Elizabeth’s tone turned sour. “Of course, she didn’t mean to light them, and she set about ten guards on fire in the process, but at least it saves us money on oil.”

They reached the bottom of the stairs. George stepped off and moved to the other side of the group so he was as far away from Darius as possible. Dylan was right at his side.

The room they emerged into was a large stone cavern. It was lit by bright blue torches, and the walls were dark purple and flecked with sparkles, as if the entire place was carved from crystal. A pair of doors stood in the opposite wall, and on either side of them stood a guard decked out in armor. Each one had a sword at their hip.

“We’ll unlock the doors,” Elizabeth said. She turned to Cassandra, the blonde lady with the rock from Bullet’s Edge hanging from her neck. “Cassandra, would you please?”

Cassandra looked up, eyes wide like a deer in headlights. She turned her gaze back to the ground and shuffled forward as she dug around in the pockets of her skirt. She pulled out another key and walked up to the doors. She shot worried glances at the guards on either side of her and shrank down a little as she fumbled with the padlock on the doors.

“Hurry up there, dear,” Elizabeth said with a smile.

Cassandra’s hands shook, but she finally managed to turn the key. The padlock fell to the ground, and she tugged the chains off the door handles.

Cassandra scurried back and hid behind Kira, the man with the ice powers. George caught Elizabeth rolling her eyes as her smile turned to an annoyed scowl. She walked up to the doors and pulled them open. She turned back to the group, her smile plastered back on her face.

“If it’s alright, I would like to speak with her before you go in,” she said. “I need to make sure she’s not going to try to do anything before you meet her. I would suggest only a few of you go in.” She shot a barely noticeable glare at George. “We wouldn’t want to overwhelm her.”

With that, Elizabeth turned and went through the doors, letting them swing shut behind her.

Matt walked up to Jeff and stood at his side. “I’ll come in with you,” he offered.

Jeff scoffed. “I don’t need someone to come with me.”

“So you want to go in there alone?”

Jeff paused. “No,” he admitted quietly.

Aron stepped forward, brows furrowed at the open doors. “I want to come in, too. I mean, if that’s okay. I just... I get a weird feeling about this.”

Jeff shrugged. “Fine by me.” As much as he didn’t want Aron to go in with him, he had to admit that he would feel safer if more people came in. Elizabeth had said only a few people should go in, and no one else was volunteering.

The doors swung open and Elizabeth emerged from the room with a smile. “Feel free to come in,” she said. “I’m sure she’ll be honoured to meet you. I’ll let you tell her about you being her new neighbor.”

Jeff hesitated. Something about whoever was behind those doors felt powerful, like this warrior lady could kill him without even thinking about it.

However, he steeled his nerves and approached the room. Anything the high and mighty George-fucking-Ragan couldn’t do, Jeff wanted to do.

He, Matt, and Aron stepped through the doors. The room beyond was lit with two more blue torches, one on each side of the room. An armor stand stood under each one, both covered in shining black suits of armor.

In the centre of the room, bound by chains that hung from the ceiling, was a woman. She lied curled up on the floor. The chains extended from the ceiling as she shifted closer to the back wall. Her blonde hair was ragged, and her tunic and trousers were dirty. She didn’t even look up as they entered.

Jeff was suddenly second guessing himself. Just what was he supposed to say to this lady? _Hey, I’m taking your place as protector of this island, and now you’re basically useless to them. Also, they want me to live right above you, so I’m taking your home as well! How cool is that?_

He didn’t get the chance to say anything, however. Aron stepped forward and knelt in front of the lady. “Hello?” he said softly, as if she was a piece of glass that would shatter if he spoke too loud.

The woman slowly peeked through her tangled blonde curls to look at him. Her face reminded Aron of something, but he couldn’t place what.

He furrowed his brow. He looked up at Jeff and Matt. “Does she look familiar to you?”

Matt squinted at her. “A little, yeah. Wonder why.”

The lady unfurled form being curled up in a ball and stared at Aron in wonder. She reached out a shaky hand.

Matt stepped back. “What is she doing?” he whispered.

Aron didn’t seem to share his confusion. He stared back at the lady, eyes wide with wonder. He hesitantly reached out a hand to meet hers.

Blue and pink sparks flew from their hands the moment their fingers touched. Aron jerked back, as did the woman. She skittered backwards and pressed her back to the stone wall.

“What the hell was that?” Jeff muttered.

Aron stared at her in shock. Matt and Jeff looked back and forth between Aron and the lady, and then they realized why she was so familiar.

She looked like Aron.

The lady shot to her feet and ran past Matt and Jeff, the chains extending from the ceiling to accommodate her. They reached their limit and yanked her back when she reached the doors. Her gaze fell on George.

“You brought him back!” she shouted, her eyes welling up with tears. “Thank you, thank you so much, I—”

“That’s enough!” Elizabeth yelled. She nodded towards the guards, and they both grabbed the lady’s arms and dragged her back into the room. Aron, Matt, and Jeff all stood aside as she was dragged back into the stone room, kicking and struggling.

“No!” the lady shouted. “Please, please I—I need...” She looked at Aron. “Help me, please! I don’t want to—”

Elizabeth rushed over to them and grabbed Jeff’s sleeve. She pulled him out of the room, then went back in to grab Matt and Aron. “I am so sorry,” she said, her voice dripping with false sincerity. “She doesn’t usually act up like this. I’m afraid she’s still recovering from her last battle. She just needs some rest.” She gently pushed the three of them away from the doors. “Now, why don’t you go get settled? We’re looking forward to having you as our new protector.”

She whirled around and marched back through the doors. Muffled voices met Matt’s ears.

“Something’s really wrong here,” George whispered.

“No shit,” Matt replied quietly.

Darius and Hera stepped in front of the group and ushered them back towards the stairs. “I think that’s enough visiting for today,” Hera said, her tone hard and cold.

Aron glanced back at the doors as he was pushed to the stairs alongside the others. He couldn’t help but feel like that woman was someone important. He felt like he should know her, but he couldn’t for the life of him figure out why.

He kept his gaze on the doors until he disappeared up the stairs with the others.

* * *

Aron couldn’t shake the feeling that he supposed to know that lady they met in Jeff’s new Keep.

“Something bugging you?”

Aron startled and looked up from where he sat on one of the beds. Jorel stood at the other side of the hotel room, Tiger curled around his shoulders. He had been staring out the window, but he must have glanced back at Aron, who had been staring ta the floor as he got lost in his thoughts. Elizabeth and the other council members had led the heroes to a place to sleep for the night, Jeff included. He said he’d figure out all the things for claiming the area as his territory for his Keep tomorrow. Aron couldn’t keep his mind off the warrior lady that was trapped in that cave below the ground.

“I’m fine,” Aron said. Nine nudged his hand and Aron scratched him under the chin. “Just a little distracted.”

Jorel turned back to the window. “Thinking about that lady in the cave?”

“How’d you know?”

“I can read you like a book. You’ve got that thinking look on your face where you furrow your brow and bite your lip. Danny does the same thing. Also, I saw the way you looked at that lady. You looked like you knew her.”

Aron shrugged. “I don’t know. I haven’t met her before, but it felt like I should know her. It’s probably nothing.”

Jorel glanced back and raised an eyebrow, but he didn’t question Aron further. Aron looked at Nine, who just huffed.

That night, Jorel decided to go out drinking with the other heroes. Well, most of the heroes. George and Dylan were going to discuss things with some citizens and see if they could find out more about this empire’s traditions regarding the dangerous trials everyone went through. The heroes had asked Aron if he wanted to go drinking with them, but he declined. He couldn’t take his mind off the strange lady they were keeping in that underground cave.

And so he and Nine remained alone with their thoughts in the hotel room they shared with Jorel and Tiger. Elizabeth had said many things about the prisoned warrior that sounded dangerous, but one little thought stuck in his mind and wouldn’t leave him alone. Elizabeth had mentioned that the lady had a brother. Aron wished more than anything that he could go back to that cave and talk to that woman without anyone dragging him out of the room.

He blinked. He could totally go do that. Well, as long as it wasn’t guarded at night and the locks didn’t depend on any kind of magic to open them.

He looked at Nine. “You thinking what I’m thinking?”

Nine nodded once. Aron stood and walked to the door. He’d never broken into the jail of a dangerous warrior, but there was a first time for everything.


	23. Realization

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Last time: Since Aron and Arina sneaked into Jeff's Keep and grabbed Aron's armor, George decided to offically make Jeff a hero since Aron had obviously chosen his side. The rest of the heroes decided to wait as Jeff calculated the time of the next power surge. Meanwhile, Arina is eager to help Aron regain his old memories from a thousand years ago and is ready to explain some things.

**Present Day**

Dylan spun a dagger on its chain with a smirk. “Best three out of five?”

George wiped at a fresh cut on his cheekbone. “How did you get so quick with those?” he whispered.

Dylan shrugged. “Maybe it was the shadow stuff.”

Jorel kept his eyes narrowed at Dylan as he and George readied themselves for another fight. They both insisted on sparring just to keep up their fighting skills while Jeff figured things out for them, but as far as Jorel knew, he was just watching a couple of thousand-year-old murderers going at each other with blades. A part of him felt guilty for thinking that way, but he couldn’t ignore his instincts. That one piece of a memory that Jorel had experienced the day before just wouldn’t leave him alone. Every time he looked at Dylan, all he saw was that vision of him standing in the middle of dozens of bodies, drenched in blood. Not to mention George’s million-people-massacre from two thousand years ago. Jorel couldn’t stop thinking about what the two of them had done.

But part of him was too trusting of them. He couldn’t help but remind himself of all the years he’d spent being their friend. He cared about both of them, and as much as his instincts were screaming at him to get away from them, he couldn’t fully convince himself to lose all of his trust in them.

Tiger whimpered and nudged his face with her nose. He sighed and scratched her on the head. She seemed to know he was upset about something. Her comfort did little to ease his concerns, but he appreciated the effort.

Jorel shot a glance at the stairs that led down to Jeff’s workshop. Maybe a second opinion would be helpful.

He walked over to the steps and descended into the ground. He ran a hand along the stone wall as he walked. He found it a little strange that Jeff lived here, but then again, Shady Jeff had done much stranger things.

He hopped off the steps and into the workshop. He spotted Jeff still standing at his whiteboard, scribbling numbers and letters on it like a madman. His brown cloak was on crooked, one of the spiked shoulders hanging off his arm, and the hood only halfway over his head. Oddly enough, that irked Jorel a little. That was Aron’s, and Jeff didn’t even have the basic decency to even wear it properly.

However, Jorel pushed his annoyance aside and cleared his throat. “Hey Jeff?”

Jeff startled and whirled around. “Ah! Decker! What are you doing here? Got sick of everyone else talking about depressing hero shit?”

Jorel hesitated. “More like I got sick of thinking about depressing hero shit.” He glanced at Tiger, and she nudged him with her nose as a sign of encouragement.

Jeff grabbed a thermos off a nearby table and held it up. “Well, you can watch me chug my fifth helping of coffee and attempt to do incredibly complicated rocket science-like math. That might just make it worse, though. This whole thing is a fucking disaster.” He raised his thermos to his mouth and tilted his head back. He must have drank at least half his thermos before he lowered it again and set it on the table.

Jorel raised an eyebrow as Jeff scrambled to pick up his marker again. “Jeff? Your hands are shaking.”

“No they’re not,” Jeff scoffed as he struggled to take off the marker cap with trembling hands. It finally came off and he immediately started writing incomprehensible letters and numbers on the board. “What are you doing here, anyway? Did I already ask you that?”

Jorel wasn’t quite sure if he wanted to talk to Jeff anymore. The guy didn’t seem exactly stable. However, he needed answers, and George and Dylan surely wouldn’t give him any. Jeff was his only option.

Jorel took a deep breath. “You know everything from a thousand years ago, right?”

“Right you are, Relly.” Jeff cursed under his breath and picked up his thermos. He dragged it across his whiteboard as if it was an eraser.

Jorel ignored Jeff’s erratic behavior as best he could. “What did Dylan do?”

Jeff’s thermos clattered to the floor. The lid popped off and coffee spilled everywhere. However, Jeff didn’t seem to notice. He stood there in front of his whiteboard, staring at the numbers and letters. He swallowed and adjusted his grip on his marker.

“I don’t know what you’re talking about,” he said. He gave a shaky laugh. “Sorry, uh, my memories are still a little jumbled, y’know? Probably the coffee.” He wrote a three on the board with his blue marker. “I, uh... I just...” He blinked and wrote another three on the board over the first one he wrote. “Um... hang on.” He stared at the three he just wrote. “Did I already...? Wait—”

“Jeff,” Jorel repeated firmly. He wanted some damn answers, and at the moment, Jeff’s sleep deprivation was second priority to that. “What did Dylan do?”

Jeff wrote another three over the one he just wrote, hand shaking from the caffeine in his system. “It’s, uh, it’s hard to—remember _everything_ , y’know? I—I don’t quite recall...” He stopped writing threes and dropped the blue marker. He picked up a green one and uncapped it. He started writing letters. He scribbled an F and an M right next to each other, one after the other. “He... he’s always been a cool guy, right? He’s George’s right hand now, and he can do all that shadow stuff, and he...”

Jorel watched as Jeff frantically scribbled green F’s and M’s on the board over some of the numbers he’d already written. “Look, this whole thing is really complicated,” Jeff said. “I don’t think you want to know everything right now.” He circled the threes he wrote and started writing more F’s and M’s around it. He wasn’t even putting them in an equation now; he was just writing the letters in the same general area around the threes. “I’m not even making excuses right now, Relly,” Jeff whispered as he wrote. “I’m seriously still scrambled. I haven’t slept, I’m on my fifth mug of coffee, and not all of my memories are even there right now. Things have been too hard for me to process. I know what Dylan did, but it hasn’t quite registered that it...”

His voice trailed off. He set down the green marker and grabbed a black one. He uncapped it and drew a huge X over the blue threes, going over the lines multiple times until they almost completely covered the numbers. He erased all the green FM’s and instead drew one large FM in black above the crossed-out threes. He furrowed his brow and drew a little doodle of a sword next to the letters. He picked up a red marker, and with shaking hands, he scribbled over the entire board in red.

He stared at the board in silence, mouth slightly open as if he was perplexed. “I...” He swallowed and blinked. Jorel could have sworn he saw a flash of fear in Jeff’s eyes.

Jeff capped his red marker and tossed it on a table. He coughed into his fist and backed away. “Um... I have a rough estimate on the next power surge,” he said quietly. “It’s gonna be in a few hours, maybe around noon or later. Maybe sooner, I don’t know. I’ll... I’ll go let George and Dylan know.”

He started towards the door. He stumbled over a wrench on the floor and bumped into a table, but he managed to stay upright. He ran a hand through his hair and walked to the stairs, clipping Jorel’s shoulder as he went by.

Jorel stared after him, confused. What had Jorel said that set Jeffrey off?

Jorel turned to the whiteboard. The red marker lines stood out against the white surface, like bloodstains on a shirt. He shuddered at the thought.

He didn’t want to stay in Jeff’s empty workshop alone, so he turned and jogged up the stairs. Whatever Jeff’s little freak-out had been about, Jorel wasn’t quite sure he wanted to know anymore. The way Jeff had reacted when Jorel asked what Dylan had done was more than a little concerning.

Jorel emerged back in Jeff’s Keep. He spotted Jordon, Matt, and Danny chilling over by the black rock walls with their dragons, where they had been before. Dylan and George stood where they had been sparring, breathing heavily, weapons still in their hands. Jeff stood in front of them, making wild hand gestures as he ranted about something.

“So I’m pretty damn fucking sure that the next power surge is going to happen sometime today,” Jeff was saying. He ran a shaky hand through his already wild hair. “I mean, I’m not really a hundred percent sure on that, maybe about ninety-eight percent sure, but I still don’t really know what time it’s supposed to happen. I—I was going to figure it out, but I just can’t... I don’t know, I can’t focus right now and my memories are still processing and I keep thinking of shit that I shouldn’t be thinking of and for some weird reason I’m scared that I’m going to die. Is that normal for all this memory processing shit? Am I just going a little nuts right now?”

“Whoa, Jeff.” Dylan sheathed his daggers and placed a hand on Jeff’s shoulder. “Chill out, man. It’s totally fine. I got the same thing. Still do sometimes.” He exchanged a worried glance with George. “Maybe you should go have a nap or something. I don’t think your sleep deprivation is helping much.”

Jeff bounced on the balls of his feet. “I don’t think I can,” he protested. “I just drank about five full thermoses of coffee. I feel like I have enough energy to fuel a continent.”

Shade stood from where he was lying near the edge of the Keep and tromped over to Jeff. Shade leaned down and snuffled at Jeff’s hair with a whine.

“M’ fine, Shade,” Jeff mumbled. He reached up and scratched Shade under the chin.

“No you’re not,” George said. “You should at least try to—”

“Wait,” Dylan interrupted. He furrowed his brow. “Do you guys feel that?” he called to everyone in the Keep.

Every hero and dragon fell silent. Then Jorel noticed what Dylan was talking about; the ground was shaking.

Danny scrambled to his feet and drew his crossbow. “Is it more of those undead soldiers?” he asked.

“I don’t know,” George admitted. He looked up at the entrance to the Keep. “Everyone on your guard.”

Dylan looked down at his hands. “Uh, George? I think this is another power surge.”

George followed Dylan’s gaze. Shadows spilled off Dylan’s skin and drifted to the ground.

Jeff drew his dagger and took an ice grenade off his belt, glaring at the entrance of the Keep far above. “Well, we know what used to happen here when this shit happened. If undead soldiers start showing up—”

“Then Arina and Aron might not be far behind,” George whispered.

“That’s not exactly what I was thinking,” Jeff mumbled. “But now I’m a little more concerned.” He stepped away from George as ice spread across the ground at George’s feet.

Everyone drew their weapons, and their dragons growled in unison at the ground. If Aron and Arina attacked, they might not be able to defend themselves, and that possibility was what scared Matt the most. He had only caught a glimpse of the power Arina and Aron had, and it already seemed like too much for all of them to handle.

Saint raised her head and peered at the sky. _Wait_ , she growled. _I think I feel something else._

Matt nocked an arrow in his bow. “What is it?” he asked her, ignoring the confused looks he got from Danny and Jordon.

Monarch’s throat rumbled. “Something else is happening,” George said. “This isn’t just a power surge.”

Saint turned to Shade. _Do you sense anything?_

Shade sniffed the air. He lightly shook his head.

Danny raised an eyebrow at Matt. “Hey, Kurlzz? You okay?”

“Yeah. Why?”

Jordon blinked at Matt. “Uh... your eyes weren’t always purple, were they?”

 _Matthew,_ Saint’s voice rumbled. _Do you know what’s going on?_

Matt looked up at her. Her eyes were glowing a bright violet, and Matt realized that his must have been doing the same. An odd energy buzzed through his entire body. “I was going to ask you the same thing,” he said to Saint. He lowered his bow. Images flashed through his head, but most of them disappeared before he could process any of them. What the hell was going on?

“Matt?” George said. “Are you alright?”

“Someone should be asking you that,” Dylan said. “Look at Monarch.”

Everyone looked up at Monarch. His eyes glowed a bright blue and they lowered their gazes to George to see that his eyes were doing the same.

“What the hell’s going on?” Jeff asked.

Matt ran a hand through his hair and clenched it in a fist, frustrated. Strength and energy surged through his bones, but he didn’t know what to do with it or why it was there. More images—no, memories—bounced around in his mind. He could hardly glean anything from them aside from a few vague details. There was something about a bunch of ruins and a stone house and flying away from an island, but he couldn’t decipher any of it.

Danny stepped away from Matt, a fearful glint in his eyes. Matt couldn’t blame him. He was sure he looked a little concerning with his glowing eyes.

Then a new thought popped into his head. One word, so simple and so important to him that he couldn’t believe he had ever forgotten it in the first place.

“Our Keep,” he said. He looked up into Saint’s glowing eyes. “Our Keep is back.”

Jordon stared at him in confusion. “Your what?”

Matt ignored him and ran over to Saint. She lowered her head and he clambered onto her back. He picked up the reins, and Claire hopped up to stand behind him. He flicked the reins and she lifted off, shimmering yellow wings beating in the air. He guided her over to the entrance to the Emperor’s Keep and steered her down to perch on the black rocks. She scrambled for a hold with her claws. They both stared into the distance. That strange energy was pulling Matt towards the horizon. He didn’t know exactly what was happening, but one thing was certain: his home was somewhere out there.

Monarch flew up and landed next to Saint. “Matt, Saint, what’s going on?” George asked.

“Our Keep is back,” Matt said. He wouldn’t stop staring at the horizon, which was starting to concern George. What were they looking at?

He looked down at Monarch. “Buddy? Ideas?”

Monarch’s throat rumbled. _You feel it too, don’t you George? Something more is going on. This isn’t just a normal power surge._

Shade flew up and landed on Saint’s other side. Jeff narrowed his eyes at the sunrise. “Guys,” he whispered. “I think the rest of Angeles is back.”

“What do you mean?” George asked.

“Well, this island re-emerged,” Jeff pointed out. “There’s a possibility that the rest of the realm has, too.”

“But how? This place came back two months ago. Why would the rest of it show up just now?”

“Maybe Aron and Arina did it somehow. Does it matter? The point is, the rest of Angeles is back.” Jeff scratched the back of his neck. “I didn’t anticipate the possibility of a power surge bringing back the rest of the realm. I’m gonna have to incorporate this into my equation. I don’t want any more unexpected surprises like this.”

“It’s not the way it’s supposed to be,” Matt whispered.

George blinked. “What do you mean?”

Matt’s shoulders tensed. “I... I don’t really know. Something doesn’t feel right, I guess. It feels like our Keep is really close, but it should be on a different island.”

 _He’s right,_ Monarch agreed. He squinted. _In fact... George, look over there. That structure in the distance. Recognize it?_

George followed Monarch’s gaze. He spotted a large spire of rock poking out of the ground, the pointed tip just brushing the clouds. He thought maybe it was made by Arina or Aron for a moment, but it was much too ragged and bent to be one of their spikes. This was a different structure altogether.

Then it clicked. “Oh my god, that’s the Restless Spire.”

Jeff tugged on Shade’s reins, and they lifted off into the sky. Shade hovered up close to the clouds, scanning the landscape in the distance. He swooped back down and landed back on the edge of his Keep. “The Grove of Loss is northeast from here,” Jeff said with a shaky voice. “And I saw a dome that might have been Bullet’s Edge out west.”

George rested a hand on the pommel of his sword as this information sank in. Whatever Dylan had done a thousand years ago must have messed up Angeles somehow. Now the whole realm had warped into one land mass that had split up into multiple parts. Now the Emperor’s Keep looked like it was at the centre of the realm instead of the Imperial’s Keep.

“Where’s Matt’s Keep?” George asked.

Matt turned so he was facing south. “That way,” he said. George caught the eager, longing look in Matt’s glowing eyes. George felt the same. His Keep was close by, too, and he was tempted to take off right then and go find it.

“Everywhere in Angeles is back,” Jeff whispered. “What do we do about it?”

George didn’t respond. His mind was already racing with possible ways they could somehow use this new occurrence against Aron and Arina. There wasn’t a single one he could see working out in his head, until one idea sprouted in his brain that stuck there and wouldn’t let go. It certainly didn’t seem like the best plan in the world, but if they could go through with it, it might just make protecting Los Angeles that much easier.

He turned Monarch around towards the Keep. “Dylan!” he shouted as Monarch leaped off his perch and flew down towards the ground. “I have a stupid idea!”

Dylan looked up as Monarch swooped down and landed back in the Keep. “What is it?”

George slid off Monarch’s back and ran up to Dylan. “Everywhere in Angeles has re-emerged and fused with this island. We can’t keep relying on these power surges to make us stronger for a few hours at a time. We need more power, and permanently.”

Dylan examined his face for clues on what he meant by that. “And how would we do that?”

George grabbed Dylan’s shoulders and stared intently into his eyes. “We do the trials again.”

Dylan hardly noticed Saint and Shade returning to the ground as he stared at George. “No,” he stated simply. “No. We—we can’t. We’re not doing that. The Restless Spire is wrecked anyway. Danny can’t do his. And we destroyed one of the walls of Bullet’s Edge trying to get to Jordon. We probably can’t get in there anymore.”

“But we need the power,” George protested. “We did the same thing to defeat Jeff. Who says we can’t do it again to fight Aron and Arina?”

Dylan ran a hand through his hair. “George... you know how dangerous that shit is. If we go into those trials, we might never come out.”

“But if we go up against Aron and Arina without those powers, we might not make it out alive anyway.”

Dylan examined George’s face, trying to see how serious he was. As soon as Dylan concluded that George was certain about going through with this crazy idea, he heaved an exasperated sigh. “George, I don’t know if this is the right way to go about this.”

Jeff scratched the back of his neck. “Y’know, I’m kinda with George on this one. And not because I want all my powers back, because I’m gonna be honest and saw that I kind of don’t. I ain’t going into any of those places again. I just don’t think there’s any other way we can defeat both Aron and Arina, especially now that Aron’s probably remembering everything from our past by now. I don’t even think Saint could defeat them, and she’s a badass.” Saint puffed her chest out proudly at the compliment.

“Wait, the trials?” Danny repeated. “You mean, the shit that we had to go through to get those powers we used to have? The trial that burned half my body and almost killed me?”

“Is that really the best idea?” Jordon asked.

“It might be the only way,” George insisted. He stared at Dylan with wide, pleading eyes. “If everything’s back, we can do the trials again and get the power we need to stop Aron and Arina.”

Dylan hesitated. Going through the most dangerous places in Angeles surely wouldn’t be enough to fight Aron and Arina. They were too dangerous, too powerful. It would all be for nothing.

However, another idea popped into his head as he considered the trials. It was stupid, and George certainly wouldn’t approve, but if one of them could match Aron and Arina in strength... well, the heroes might just have a fighting chance. Doing such a thing could get Dylan killed, but if he managed to do it, they might be able to hold their own against the Erlichman’s.

Dylan nodded. “We should do it.” If the others were busy with their own trials, Dylan could speed through his and do everything else he needed to. A plan was already forming in his head as to how he could accomplish this dangerous goal of his.

“I don’t mean to interrupt,” Jeff said, “but Matty hasn’t done any of the trials, and I’m not too big on doing all the ones I did again. If you guys are doing your trials, what are we supposed to do?”

George rested his hand on the pommel of his sword. “Matt, you want to go back to your Keep, right? You and Jeff should go visit it and see if you can remember anything. While we’re doing our trials, you should try to regain your memories and wait to recover from them. You especially will be more helpful with your memories, considering what you and Saint can do.”

Matt blinked. “What can Saint do?”

Jeff slung an arm around Matt’s shoulders. “You’ll figure it out soon enough, Matthew.”

“As for the rest of us,” George continued, “we can either travel as a group and try to complete all of our trials one at a time, or we can split up and get things done quicker.”

“I think we should go in small groups,” Dylan suggested. “Going alone won’t be great for all of us, considering how... emotionally taxing some of the trials are. Mine is mostly easy, I just have to find my way out of a cave. I can go alone, and the rest of you can pair up.” Dylan prayed George wouldn’t insist that Dylan group up with one of the others. He needed to be alone for what he was planning to do, and protesting would only raise suspicion.

“I’ll go with Jordon,” Jorel blurted. He shot a slight glare at George. Dylan didn’t know what Jorel’s sudden anger at George was about, but he didn’t have a good feeling about it. If a wedge had jammed itself in their relationship, the team would never be able to work well together.

Well, if Dylan was going to go through with this stupid idea he had, he’d be keeping secrets from the others for a while. Did he really want to go through with this dangerous idea? If he somehow didn’t make it back, then Anna would be devastated. Not to mention Holiday and their kid that wasn’t even born yet. Did he really want to risk letting his kids grow up without a dad?

A sense of determination gripped his heart. They might not grow up at all if the seven of them couldn’t defeat Aron and Arina. If this was what he had to do in order to save Los Angeles, he would do it.

“Maybe I should go with Danny,” Jordon protested. “You know what happened to him last time he went in there. I’m supposed to be a healer, and if anyone’s gonna need healing, it’s gonna be Danny.”

George shot a nervous glance at Jorel. “He’s got a point.”

Jorel crossed his arms and grumbled under his breath, but he didn’t protest. Dylan hoped he wouldn’t be upset the whole time he and George were together.

“Sounds like a good plan to me.” Jeff said. He slung an arm around Matt’s shoulders. “Let’s take these fuckers down!”

* * *

Arina waved an arm at the room they walked into with a smile. “And this is the library I made,” she said. “I used to always sneak out of my prison and come here to read for a few hours every night. I collected so many books.”

Aron gazed at the room in awe. He’d already been here once, but knowing that Arina had made every bookshelf and stolen all the books in them from the city she was kept in made it all the more impressive.

She was telling him everything about everything—not necessarily about the big events that happened in Angeles, but the little details that she recalled about her life on this island. She talked about the stronghold and why she made it, how she found out she could do more than just summon obsidian spikes in the ground, and all the times she snuck out of her prison to come here to the place she made. Aron found it interesting, but he still didn’t know a lot of things. Why was she imprisoned in the first place? Why had the two of them been separated? When did they meet again, and what had happened after they met?

Arina rushed over to one of the tables and sat on top. Her dragon hopped into her lap and curled up there. Eleven squeaked and nudged her hand as she pet him. “You’re gonna want to be sitting down while I explain some things.” She motioned towards another table across from hers.

Nine nudged Aron’s back, gently pushing him forward. Aron scratched Nine on the head and walked up to the table Arina had gestured towards. He sat down, and Nine crawled onto the tabletop and curled up next to him. Aron leaned back against him.

Arina took a deep breath. “Where to start? I guess at the beginning.” She idly scratched Eleven behind the horns. “We were both born with incredibly dangerous powers. You were born first, and no one had any idea what to do with you. As soon as you seemed to get too dangerous for anyone to handle, they sent you away to Sunset at a very young age. I was born not too many years later, and this was when the island started getting these huge earthquakes. Undead soldiers would rise from the ground and attack people, which was their own damn fault for fucking around with magic in the first place. It made the entire place unstable.”

Aron furrowed his brow. “And they imprisoned you, but sent me away?”

“Yeah. They raised me to be a warrior that would protect the city. I was first sent onto a battlefield when I was eight, I think. I massacred a hundred undead soldiers before the earthquake ended and they locked me up again.” She shuddered, and something like fear flashed in her eyes. “The people who kept me locked up were awful. That’s why I snuck out every night and made this place. I needed to get away.”

“How did we find each other?”

“You became a hero. You joined those lunatics, and you came here looking for a place for Jeffrey to stay. You all came to my prison, and...” She shrugged. “The rest is history. We both decided to let the island fall apart. We were going to destroy it and everyone on it.” She snorted. “I can’t believe Dylan beat us to the punch.”

Aron’s eyes widened at what Arina was insinuating. “Wait. Did you say—?”

Arina nodded. “Yep. Dylan destroyed all of Angeles. I don’t know how. I think only he and George know. Either way, shit went down a thousand years ago, and it wasn’t our fault.”

Aron stared at her in wonder. “We didn’t destroy Angeles? Dylan did?” He turned to Nine, looking for some sign of confirmation of this new information. Nine nodded once.

Aron’s head spun. “I... from the way they spoke about you, I thought _you_ destroyed the world.”

“Of course they’d pin it on me,” Arina scoffed. “Dylan wanted to make himself look good so you would join his little group of heroes. The man can lie, you know. He’s kept this whole thing a secret since he was eighteen. He knows how to keep things to himself.”

Aron just stared in shock. Dylan, of all people, had destroyed an entire realm? It was unthinkable, and yet he believed it. Something about what she told him just felt right.

Arina shrugged. “That’s all I really have to tell you. You’ll remember everything soon enough, anyway.” Her gaze slid to one of the standing sconces on the floor. “Oh, I must have put out the flames when I messed with the floor.” She reached out and grabbed the sconce. The rock holding it to the floor crumbled at her touch, and she pulled it closer to her with a frown. Her eyes lit up and she turned to Aron. “You wanna relight it?”

Aron blinked at the sudden change of subject. “Uh, I didn’t bring a lighter.”

“You don’t need one.” Arina grinned and held up her free hand. Bright cyan flames flickered to life on her palm. “We can do more than just make earthquakes, you know.”

“Are you serious?” Aron whispered. He gazed at the bright blue fire in Arina’s hand. “How do you do that?”

Arina shrugged. “I don’t know, I just do. It feels like second nature. I don’t know if I can explain how to do it. Your powers respond to your emotions. You have to want to do it.”

Aron stared down at his hands. He didn’t know if he could do it. He’d only been able to summon those obsidian spikes when he ran away with Arina, and even now, that power seemed to have abandoned him.

A mildly disappointed look came over Arina’s face. “I guess I can’t expect you to be able to do it right away. I was just hoping you could try. You know, Danny used to be able to summon fire.” She turned the sconce in her hand. “He can probably figure out how to do it. Guess he’s always just been better at that kind of stuff than you.”

A small spike of anger rose in Aron’s gut. Was she seriously comparing him to Danny? He’d been compared to Danny ever since 2010. He was done being told that he was worse than that American Idol reject.

A _fwoosh_ sound met his ears. A faint pink glow washed over them. Arina grinned. “Well look at that,” she whispered.

Aron looked down at his hand. Bright pink flames enveloped his hand, curling around his skin like it was alive.

Arina held out the sconce, and Aron raised a hand to light it. The fire jumped from his hand to the sconce, illuminating their area of the room in pink light.

Arina leaned back in her seat and set the sconce back on the floor with a smirk. “Way better than Danny.” She stood. “I think it’s time we really got down to business.”


	24. Upside Down

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> i've hardly touched this fic over the past few weeks because all i've been writing is Sanders Sides fics, so i'm trying to get back into writing HU stuff because i really want to finish this fic eventually
> 
> Last time: Jorel can't help but see Dylan and George as bad people, considering their past from thousands of years ago. He asked Jeff about it, who was clearly not in his right mind and freaked out while thinking of what Dylan had done a thousand years ago. The rest of Angeles re-emerged, and George had the idea of redoing the five dangerous trials around the realm in order to gain the power they need to defeat Aron and Arina. Arina explained some things to Aron to clear things up, and is ready to try helping him regain some memories.

Jeff shoved a variety of things into a bag over his shoulder. “I’ve never been to your Keep before,” he said, voice shaking with either excitement or caffeine overdose. “Well, I mean, I have, but not... y’know, without attacking it.”

Matt watched as Jeff grabbed a staple gun and tried to shove it into his bag. “I don’t remember being there. What’s it like?”

“It’s right in the middle of a bunch of ruins,” Jeff said. He finally managed to stuff the staple gun into his bag. “I, uh, may or may not have blasted a huge crater in the middle of it when Shade and I used a bunch of our power to yeet the other guys all the way to the Five Islands.” He gave a shaky laugh. “Good times, huh?”

“Yeah...” Matt muttered. He glanced back at the stairs that led out of Jeff’s workshop. This whole plan George and Dylan had with redoing those trials set him on edge. He didn’t know if any of them would die from these dangerous trials they were supposed to go through.

Jeff crammed a few more things into his bag and managed to fasten it shut. “Well! If we’re going to see your Keep, we might as well get going.”

“Wait.”

They both turned to face the stairs. Dylan stood on the last step, clutching his cloak around his shoulders. “I have something to tell you.”

Matt shoved his hands in his pockets. “What is it?”

Dylan took a deep breath. “Look, George can’t know about this. I don’t think the others should know, either. It’s too dangerous for them to know.”

Jeff perked up. Anything George didn’t know, Jeff automatically wanted in on. “What is it? Is it a secret?”

“Sort of.” Dylan shot a wary glance up the stairs. “It’s complicated. I just don’t think they should know, okay?”

Jeff raised his hand in a salute. “You can count on me, Alvarez!”

Matt nodded. “Me too.” Whatever Dylan wanted to tell them, it must have been important if he was keeping it from George of all people.

Dylan tightened his grip on his cloak. “Okay. I know it’s dangerous, but we have to match Aron and Arina in power if we stand a chance of going up against them. Which is why...” He paused and swallowed. “Which is why I’ve decided to do all five trials.”

Jeff dropped the ice grenade he was currently trying to stuff into one of his pockets. “What? Are you serious? You’re going to do all of them?”

Matt didn’t quite know what completing all five trials would entail, but judging from Jeff’s reaction, it couldn’t have been anything good. “Dylan, are you sure?”

“I have to.” Dylan stared at the two with a determined look in his eye. “I just need you to know so that... so that you can tell the others what happened if I don’t make it out.”

Jeff narrowed his eyes and examined Dylan, trying to see if he was serious. Once he determined that Dylan was, in fact, not pulling their legs, Jeff placed his hands on his hips and gave Dylan his best disapproving glare. “Look Dilly Dally—”

“Don’t call me that.”

“This doesn’t exactly sound like the best idea. Do you know how many times I almost died? Take how many times you guys almost died in your trials and multiply it by four. And all that magic is going to fuck with you. Doing all of those trials was the worst idea I could have had. It’s exactly why I’m not doing them again now.”

“We need that kind of power in order to take them down,” Dylan insisted. “If you’re not going to do it, then somebody has to.”

Jeff exchanged a worried glance with Matt. Neither of them thought this was a particularly good idea, but maybe Dylan was right. They needed someone with power to defeat Aron and Arina, and if no one else was going to do it, Dylan might as well. They also understood why he didn’t want to tell George about it. George would never approve of that plan, not in another thousand years.

Jeff did feel a little guilty that Dylan felt the need to do this only because Jeff wasn’t going to, but thinking back to all the stuff Jeff had seen when he went through those trials... He just couldn’t bring himself to go through with it again. Maybe he was making the wrong decision when he chose not to do them, but there was no way he was going to go through all of that.

“We won’t tell anyone else,” Jeff promised. “Don’t worry.”

Dylan breathed a sigh of relief. “Thank you. Good luck in the Imperial’s Keep. I’ll see you when I get back.”

“If you get back,” Matt added under his breath. He couldn’t shake the feeling that Dylan was going on a suicide mission. This could kill him.

However, he said nothing more about it. “Stay safe, Dyl,” Matt said.

“I’ll try.” Dylan turned and jogged back up the stairs, cloak fluttering behind him.

He left Jeff’s workshop, his stomach turning with nerves. He still didn’t exactly know if he was making the best decision, but he had to do something to defeat Aron and Arina. This was the best way he could think of to do it.

Dove and Grenade trotted up to him as soon as he stepped into the Keep. Grenade nudged his hand and whimpered. Dylan scratched his dragon on the head, trying to reassure him that he was fine. Dylan would be okay. He just needed to get the trials over with, defeat Aron and Arina, and then he could go back home to his family.

He pulled his phone out of his pocket. So many texts that had failed to deliver glared back at him on his screen. The signal here was spotty at best. He hated that he couldn’t contact Anna.

He tapped out another text, knowing full well it would never send.

* * *

Anna stared longingly at her various messages she’d sent to Dylan, all of which remained undelivered. He must not have had good signal wherever he was.

She and the others had all remained at Asia’s house overnight. They were lucky the Ragan’s had so many guest rooms. Scarlett had slept in Ava’s room, where they talked about their friends at school and gave each other makeovers. Vanessa had joined them for that, insisting that if they were going to use makeup, they might as well know how. Anna couldn’t help but think that Vanessa would make a great mom, but she also filled the role of being the fun aunt very well.

At least she managed to keep Ava and Scarlett’s minds off the current disaster going on in the city. News broadcasts had warned the citizens of Los Angeles to remain indoors and not to worry since the government was in the process of trying to discover the cause of all this chaos. However, Anna couldn’t help but worry. She already knew the cause of all of it, and just the thought of Dylan being caught in the middle of it made her want to scream from the stress. The man could hardly make mac and cheese by himself. How was he supposed to save the world?

Anna shoved her phone back in her pocket and turned back to the pancakes she was making in Asia’s kitchen. She hoped the others would be okay with pancakes for breakfast, because Anna made enough batter to feed an army.

She heard footsteps and glanced back. Asia shuffled into the kitchen, hair bunched up in a bun. She fastened that strange belt with the sword sheath around her hips as she yawned, as if it was second nature to her. Anna didn’t know why she was still carrying that thing around, but maybe it would be useful.

Asia rubbed her eyes. “Morning,” she mumbled. “Making pancakes?”

“Yeah,” Anna sighed. “I woke up a bit too early. Didn’t know what else to do.”

“You should go sleep,” Asia advised. “You’re still prego.”

Anna blinked. “Prego?”

“Ava says that sometimes.” Asia leaned against the counter. “Means you’re still pregnant.” She gently poked Anna’s side with one finger. “You gotta rest. I can take care of breakfast.”

“I’m already here.” Anna ladled some batter into the pan on the stove. “No point leaving now.”

Asia shrugged. “Alright. Don’t stress too much. The guys will figure things out. You said Dylan told you this wasn’t the first time they’ve saved the world. I’m sure they’ll be fine.”

Anna considered Asia’s words. She was right; Dylan and the other guys had saved the world before, if Dylan’s strange story about dragons had been anything to go by. Maybe they could do it again this time.

Anna grabbed a spatula and lifted the edge of the pancake. “I hope so,” she whispered.

* * *

Aron gazed around the stairwell as Arina led him down a spiral staircase into the lower part of the castle. “So, where exactly are we going?” He stared at a flickering blue torch in the wall as they passed by.

“We need something to jog your memory,” Arina said. Her cocky smirk from earlier was gone. Now her lips were pressed into a thin line and her brow was furrowed with worry. Aron wondered what she was thinking of that might have warranted that concerned look that so rarely appeared on her face.

“What’s down here that could make me remember everything?” Aron asked.

Arina was silent for a moment. “Well, it’s a bit less of something that will make you remember and more something that I’ve been curious to see since I got here. If you knew what happened down here, you’d know why.”

Every word only brought up more questions. “What happened down here?”

They finally stepped off the stairs and onto the floor. Nine followed close behind them. A tall rock wall stood in front of them, but it wasn’t black like the rest of the castle. It was grey and ragged, and a little ways up the rock was a green handprint that glowed as if it had been smacked on with glow-in-the-dark paint. The edges were smudged like whoever had slapped it on had been in a hurry.

Arina stared up at the wall. “This is where Dylan ended the world.”

Aron blinked at the green handprint. “How did he do it?” he whispered.

Arina reached up and placed her hand over the green print. “I don’t know,” she admitted. “I wasn’t in the room when it happened. All I know is that he opened up this wall with some weird hero magic or whatever, and then he did whatever it was that he did to destroy the world.” She glanced back at Aron. “Do you think you can open it?”

Aron’s shoulders tensed. “How would I do that?”

“You’re still technically a hero, right? I think these glowy caves have something to do with this hero magic that makes you guys a team.”

“But I’m not with them anymore,” Aron pointed out.

“I think you’re still a hero unless George gives someone else the role.” She stepped away from the wall. “Can you at least try?”

Aron hesitated, but Nine nudged his back and urged him forward. Aron stared up at the green handprint and took a deep breath. He stepped forward and set his hand over the print.

Nothing happened.

Aron took his hand away. The green handprint was still there.

He stepped back. His stomach sank when he realized that he wasn’t part of their group anymore. They kicked him out again, just like they had in 2010.

Arina narrowed her eyes at the rock wall. “Alright. We’re doing it my way.” She held a hand out towards the wall, palm outward.

A large black spike shot out of the ground in front of her. It pierced right through the rock wall. Aron jumped back as the stone crumbled in front of him, pieces falling and crashing to the ground around them. Arina skittered back and Eleven curled tighter around her shoulders as rock piled up at their feet.

The dust settled. Aron and Arina exchanged a nervous look, but they pushed down their apprehension and stepped onto the rocks. Arina stumbled and almost fell when a rock shifted beneath her feet, but she grabbed Aron’s shoulder to steady herself.

They approached the hole in the wall and peered into the darkness. Eleven scampered off Arina’s shoulders and into the cave beyond. His sparking eyes lit up the area around him as his claws scratched against the rock.

Arina stepped over the debris and into the room. Aron and Nine were close behind. Arina held up a hand, and cyan flames flickered over her palm. “Doesn’t look like there’s anything in here,” she whispered. “How did he end the world with nothing?”

Eleven’s eyes sparked again, and Aron caught sight of a shape near the end of the room. “Hang on, I think there’s something over there,” he said.

He strode towards it in the darkness. He held up a hand and tried to bring back some of the anger he’d felt the day prior when he ran away from Jorel. Pink flames danced across his skin, lighting up the room around him.

He stopped in front of the strange shape. It was a stone pedestal that stood a bit higher than his waist, the top of it slanted towards him. A slot sat right in the middle of it.

Arina popped up next to him. “Weird.” She leaned in to examine the small crevice. “Let’s see what this is.”

She pressed a hand to the crack in the pedestal. Obsidian filled up the slot and a black handle formed on the end. She grabbed it and pulled. A long blade of obsidian slid out of the crack, glinting in Aron’s dim pink flames. She held it in front of her and gazed at it in wonder.

“It’s for a sword,” she murmured, turning the new blade in her hand. She looked down at the pedestal. “Who would put a sword here? What is it for?”

Aron narrowed his eyes at the blade in Arina’s hand. “I don’t know,” he muttered. An idea popped into his head. “Who’s the one person we know that uses a sword about that size?”

Arina blinked. “You’re saying George’s sword is supposed to go in here?” She furrowed her brow. “I mean... that’s a possibility.” She stared at the black blade in her hand. “But Dylan didn’t have George’s sword back then! At least it didn’t look like George’s. He had _a_ sword, but I thought he just took a random weapon from the Empire and decided not to use his knives.” She dropped the blade and began to pace the room, biting her lip in thought. “Unless... George was in danger of dying when we attacked, so maybe his sword just gave him up and chose Dylan as its new owner? I don’t know many swords that can do that, but it isn’t a normal sword—it’s the only one I know of that can kill things with only a scratch. Maybe it’s more important than I thought?”

Aron watched as she paced. He thought she knew everything in this situation. He hadn’t expected to see her confused.

“Rina,” he said. “Can you just tell me everything that happened a thousand years ago?”

Arina paused in her pacing and looked up at him. “Sorry, Aron. Honestly... I don’t quite know everything myself. I only got my memories back two months ago. They’re still processing. Besides, George and Dylan are the ones who know everything about the hero stuff and the other islands and flying around with dragons to save the world. I was stuck in a cave for thirty years and used as a weapon. I don’t know shit.” She ran a hand through her hair and sighed. “I just want to know how Dylan ruined everything. Is that too much to ask?”

Aron wasn’t even sure if she was talking to him anymore. Her words trailed off into mumbles as she continued her pacing. Eleven hopped up onto the pedestal and sat back to watch her.

Aron looked down at the blade Arina had made. He picked it up and motioned with his head for Eleven to move over. Eleven squeaked and scampered down the pedestal, wrapping around it and digging his claws into the rock as he watched Aron with his bright blue eyes. Aron stuck the blade back into the slot it had been made from. He couldn’t help but wonder what Dylan had done here. Maybe placing George’s sword into this pedestal was supposed to do something, but it seemed strange that just putting that specific weapon in it would destroy the world.

Arina heaved a laborious sigh. “We’ll figure it out later.” She looked at Aron. “We should focus on bringing back your powers. Come on.”

She whirled around and strode to the hole in the stone wall. Aron spotted a piece of rock, still glowing green on one side from Dylan’s handprint. She stepped right over it like it was nothing.

Aron glanced back at the sword in the pedestal. He turned and followed her out of the room.


	25. Quick Thinking

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> sorry that chapters have been slow lately. the ones i'm busy writing are all really heavy with plot and stuff, so they're taking longer than expected to write
> 
> Last time: Jeff and Matt decided to go to Matt's Keep to see if he can recover any memories. Dylan informed them of his decision to complete all the five trials in Angeles in order to help defeat Aron and Arina. Anna and the rest of the heroes' families are trying to adjust to whatever's going on. Aron and Arina went down to the basement of Arina's stronghold to see if they could figure out how Dylan ended the world. They found a pedestal made for a sword. Confused, they left it alone without knowing how Dylan brought on the downfall of Angeles.

Dylan clutched the strap of his bag as he hopped onto Grenade’s back. He cast a wary look at Monarch and Viral as their companions readied themselves for the journey ahead. Going through the trials was going to be difficult for Jordon, Danny, and Jorel, especially since they didn’t remember what they were like. However, they all seemed to think it was necessary, because none of them were backing down.

Dylan turned his gaze to Shade and Saint. Their riders were both on their dragons, reins in hand. Claire flopped down behind Matt. She already looked ready to go. Dylan hoped Matt and Jeff’s journey went well. At least they wouldn’t be getting traumatized by various magical trials around the island.

Dove reached up and nudged his hand with a whine. He scratched her under the chin. She knew he was stressed about what he was about to do, and he couldn’t blame her for being concerned.

Jeff caught his gaze and waved. Dylan raised a hand in a brief farewell.

“We’re going!” Jeff shouted to everyone. “Try not to die while we’re gone!”

“Stay safe!” Matt added.

“We’ll try!” George shouted. “Have fun in your Keep!”

Matt and Jeff flicked their reins. Saint and Shade lifted their wings in unison and took off into the sky. Shade soared through the opening of his Keep, and Saint wasn’t too far behind. Dylan watched them until they disappeared into the sky.

George lifted Monarch’s reins. “Okay,” he shouted to the remaining heroes, “remember, when you’re in your trial you have to grab some sort of object. It can be a stick, a rock, whatever. You just need to grab it yourself. It’s going to be the thing that provides you with your power.” He turned to Viral, where Danny, Jordon, and Lion sat. “You guys especially need to stay safe. Please. Try not to die.”

“We’ll do our best, Georgie!” Jordon promised. He patted Viral’s back. “Ready to go buddy?”

Viral grunted. He spread his wings and launched into the air. Danny yelped as Viral lurched forward in a less than graceful takeoff. They flew into the sky and vanished into the clouds.

George turned to look at Jorel, who was seated far back on Monarch with Tiger curled around his shoulders. “You ready?” George asked.

Jorel shrugged. “Sure.” His tone was flat and cold.

George looked more than a little hesitant to be travelling with Jorel, but he flicked Monarch’s reins. Monarch raised his wings and soared into the air.

Dylan watched them as they left the Keep behind. Now he was going to go through five dangerous and possibly traumatizing trials, all by himself.

Well, not completely by himself. He had Dove and Grenade with him. But he wondered if they would be able to get him out of Bullet’s Edge or the Restless Spire if something went wrong. Just the thought of what might be waiting for him in those places sent a chill up his spine.

He gently nudged Grenade’s side. “Ready?”

Grenade grunted. Dove sidled up next to the two and licked at Dylan’s hand. He took a deep breath and steeled his nerves. Shadows still drifted off his form. He hoped this surge of power would last long enough for him to use his shadow powers to his advantage.

“Alright,” he said. “Let’s go.”

He leaned down and put a hand on Dove’s head. He focused on taking all of them to the No-Way-Out Caves, wherever those might be, and Dylan and his two dragons all dissolved into shadows.

He felt Dove and Grenade’s nervousness as their misty forms drifted around his own. However, that turned into excitement as they darted around Dylan as clouds. Maybe being a shadow was different for dragons than it was for people, because they didn’t seem alarmed like everyone else Dylan had teleported with.

The three of them floated up to the top of the Keep and rested there as Dylan scanned the landscape. It was difficult to see through the darkness, but he spotted a few shapes sticking up in the distance. Just from the blurry sight of them, Dylan knew that was where he needed to go.

He swirled around and gathered him and his dragons into one cloud. They zipped towards the shapes in the distance, darting across the ground faster than any human eye would be able to register. Their sight turned to complete darkness as they jumped from shadow to shadow across the island.

They stopped as soon as they reached the Caves. Dylan let Dove and Grenade solidify and then forced himself into a solid form. Dove shook her head and sneezed. Shadowy dust flew from her nose and blew the ground in front of her. Grenade shook himself from head to tail as if he was covered in water. Dark mist whipped off his fur and feathers.

Dylan glanced around them and startled at the warped landscape. The No-Way-Out Caves towered in front of him, a tall cliff of rock with its dozens of openings that led into many, many tunnels that could trap Dylan for days on end. The Caves were surrounded by sand, but Dylan was standing on a dirt path that led to nowhere. The path stopped where it touched the sand. The grass on either side of Dylan rose into small hills shaped like sand dunes, and it shifted like grains of sand in the wind. The sand around the Caves jutted up in tiny ledges that shouldn’t have been possible for sand to stay in. Nothing about this was natural. Had Dylan’s actions from a thousand years ago messed this place up that badly?

He glanced at Dove and Grenade. Dove didn’t look back because she couldn’t see, but Grenade returned Dylan’s look with a nod of encouragement.

Dylan reached into his bag and pulled out a flashlight. “Alright,” he breathed. “Let’s do this.”

He stepped onto the sand. Dove and Grenade trotted after him. His stomach tied itself into knots as they grew closer to the Caves. He couldn’t help but think about the last time he had gone in there.

He shook off his scared thoughts as best he could. He could do this. It wouldn’t be so hard. He just had to find his way out of a cave.

He paused in front of one of the openings in the rock. He took a deep breath before he and his dragons walked in.

A wall of rock slammed shut behind them, blocking out the entrance and plunging them into darkness. Dylan jumped at the sound. Dove squeaked and whimpered. Her claws scraped across the rock as she skittered backwards.

Dylan scrambled for his flashlight. “Hang on, I got us.” He flicked it on, and a beam of light streaked through the darkness. He shone it at the walls. Crystals stuck out of the rock and glimmered in the light as if they’d stepped into a giant geode. He wished he could have just gotten some sort of object from here and left, but the entrance was blocked. They would have to find another way out, whether they wanted to or not.

He started forward, but he stumbled as the shadows around him suddenly snapped back into his body all at once. A wave of nausea welled up in his stomach, but he forced it down. It looked like that power surge Jeff predicted hadn’t lasted as long as they thought. It didn’t matter much, though. He was going to gain his shadow powers back permanently soon.

He kept a tight grip on his flashlight as he and his two dragons started down the glittering tunnel. He leaned against Grenade to stay upright as the wave of nausea slowly faded. “This is gonna be easy,” he whispered, half to himself and half to Dove and Grenade. “We just have to find our way out of here. Piece of cake.”

Dove grunted in agreement. She kept pace with the other two as they made their way slowly through the cave. He didn’t know how long it would take them, but he hoped they could get through with enough time to spare so he could go through the other trials without the others knowing.

He paused when he heard faint voices whispering at him from the darkness. The sound sent a chill up his spine. He’d almost forgotten about the voices, and now that Danny wasn’t here to keep him company like he was last time, it would be much harder to block them out.

Dylan kept his flashlight aimed in front of them as they walked. He let his mind wander. He wished more than anything that he could talk to Anna and see Holly. When he decided to be a hero again, he hadn’t even considered how much he would miss them. He’d been away from them while on tour with the band before. Why should this be any different?

Because now everyone was in danger, he reminded himself. He wanted to be there for them, but he couldn’t. He had to stay here with the others and save the world.

He shook his thoughts away from his family. That would just make him sad. What else could he think about that would keep his mind off those voices?

A tiny pang of annoyance shot through him when his thoughts turned to George. Dylan desperately wanted to tell the others about everything, but George hadn’t wanted that because he thought it would be better for them if they didn’t know. He wasn’t the one who had to deal with all this memory processing shit. He didn’t know what it was like. And it was even more frustrating when he thought about how George had never thought to tell the others about Angeles years ago. George just didn’t understand what it was like to struggle with memories. He knew who he was—the others wouldn’t know the first thing about themselves when their memories came back.

Grenade whimpered and nuzzled Dylan. Dylan sighed and reached up to scratch Grenade under the chin. “Still a bit of resentment, I guess.” More voices hissed in his ears. He found himself wishing Danny was there with him like he was last time.

_Dylan._

He almost jumped out of his skin. He hadn’t heard any voices directly speak to him last time, not including the trial he did in the Five Islands. Hearing them say him name now sent a chill of dread down his spine.

He shook his head and walked faster. He couldn’t let this place get to him.

He reached out and took one of Grenade’s front paws in his hand, just for some reassurance. Dove took Dylan’s other sleeve in her mouth, still trotting along on all fours. He tried to keep the flashlight beam aimed ahead as Dove jostled his arm. It would be too easy to get separated in this place.

 _Dylan_ , one of the voices sang. _We know what you’re planning. What makes you think we’re going to make this easy on you?_

Dylan kept his mouth shut. He almost expected to see Danny and Lion run up to them from the darkness and scold Dylan for leaving them behind, but that didn’t happen. This wasn’t a thousand years ago. Danny wasn’t here. Dylan had to keep that in mind.

He tried to ignore the whispers in the shadows as he and his dragons trudged onward. Maybe if he just kept his thoughts on something else, he could block them out.

He paused in his tracks when his flashlight beam slid over an opening in the tunnel. He hesitated, wondering if the current path they were on would lead them to an exit or if they should take the new tunnel.

He glanced down at Dove. “What do you think, bud?”

Dove let go of Dylan’s sleeve and lowered her nose to the ground. She sniffed along the stone and stopped at the new tunnel. She sniffed down the current tunnel they were in, then turned to the new opening and snuffled at the crystal walls. She squawked and nodded towards the new tunnel.

Dylan and Grenade followed her into the tunnel. She stopped to let them catch up and took Dylan’s sleeve again as soon as they entered the new cave. It was just as sparkly and shiny as the one they had left, but something felt off. It was like they weren’t alone in there.

However, Dylan trusted Dove’s judgement. If she smelled fresh air this way, then this way they would go.

_Dylan._

He grimaced. “What do you want?” he whispered. He ignored Grenade’s concerned look and glanced about for any possible source of the voice.

 _Do you really think you can do this?_ a voice hissed. _It sounds awfully taxing. You’re likely just going to get stuck in here anyway. There’s no point even trying to reach the other trials._

“Whatever,” Dylan grumbled. “I’ll be able to do it. You got nothing on me, voice.”

A voice chuckled. _Oh, Dylan. You never truly experienced what this trial is about, did you? Your little speedrun trial in the Five Islands didn’t really give you the full experience._

 _You won’t be leaving this place alive,_ another voice whispered.

Dylan scoffed. “Wanna bet?”

Multiple voices laughed in the darkness. _Why don’t we test that cocky attitude of yours?_

The ground rumbled. Dove whined, and Dylan held onto both her and Grenade as it trembled beneath their feet. God, he just _had_ to test the freaky disembodied spirits of a mysterious cave, didn’t he?

He aimed his light at the opening they went through. Before they could make a break for it, a wall of rock slammed down over the exit, trapping them in the tunnel. The sparkling crystals on the wall looked more like sharp daggers, and the resemblance wasn’t exactly reassuring to Dylan.

The whole cave shook and dust rained from the ceiling as the wall began to slowly move towards them. “Fucking great,” Dylan cursed. He whistled for Dove to follow him as he and Grenade took off running. “Let’s go!”

Dove scampered after them with a startled yelp. Dylan prayed that the tunnel didn’t lead to a dead end. His feet pounded on the ground as he sprinted alongside Dove and Grenade. He kept his flashlight aimed ahead, searching desperately for any possible exit. All he found was more crystal rock walls.

“Shit,” he cursed. He glanced back and saw the wall grating against the stone floor as it inched towards them. If they couldn’t get out of this tunnel, they would either be stabbed to death by those sharp crystals or crushed by the stone wall, and he didn’t want to find out which would kill them first.

His flashlight beam caught on something glittering in front of them, and he skidded to a stop. Dove and Grenade squeaked and stopped in their tracks. In front of them was a dead end.

Dove scampered forward, frantically sniffing at the air. She squawked and flicked her tail upwards to point at the ceiling. Dylan looked up and saw a ragged hole in the ceiling among the many sharp crystals. It might have been just big enough for all of them to slip through. Where they would end up on the other side, Dylan didn’t know, but it had to be better than this.

Grenade launched off the ground towards the hole. He folded in his wings at the last second and shot through. He scrabbled at the edge with his hind feet and wriggled through. Dove leaped after him and squeezed through.

Dylan shoved his flashlight into the pocket of his bag and drew a dagger. “Watch out!” he shouted in warning. He whipped the blade towards the hole, chain trailing behind it. It latched onto something above. He tugged on the chain and it pulled him up toward the ceiling. He quickly crawled through the ceiling and snatched his foot out of the hole just as the crystal wall grated past. A sharp crystal almost caught on his pant leg before the rock closed up the hole.

He took deep, heaving breaths as the ground stopped trembling. “You guys okay?”

He heard a whimper in response. “What’s wrong?” he asked. He hoped Dove and Grenade hadn’t gotten hurt.

One of them sidled up to him and whined. He fumbled for his flashlight. “Are you guys okay? If you need bandages or anything, I can...”

He let his sentence taper off as soon as he turned on the light. “Ah, shit,” he whispered.

Shadowy shapes hung from the ceiling. Dylan recalled that he and Danny had been chased by bat-like creatures last time they were in the Caves. Dylan wasn’t actually sure what they were, but he hoped they couldn’t kill him.

Dove whined and shuffled in closer to him. “Shh,” he hissed as one of the creatures stirred. “We’re okay. Just try to stay quiet.”

Dove seemed to understand, because she stopped whining and huddled closer to Dylan. Grenade let out a whimper and shuffled closer to them, glancing up at the creatures warily.

Dylan took Grenade’s paw again, and Dove and Grenade twined their tails together so they wouldn’t get separated. Dylan kept his grip tight on his flashlight as they tiptoed down the tunnel. Dylan kept one eye on the creatures hanging from the ceiling. If they woke up, the three of them would have to book it.

As they quietly continued on, Dylan found himself wondering just what exactly this trial was supposed to be about. A “trial” implied that he was being tested for something. But what was he supposed to be proving here? That he could find his way out of a damn cave? Was it perseverance? Determination? The ability to keep himself from having a full-blown mental breakdown under stress? What did this place want from him?

 _That’s a question you’ll have to answer on your own, Alvarez,_ a voice giggled. _What do you think this test is about?_

“Trying not to murder the disembodied voices in this stupid cave?” Dylan whispered.

He received no response aside from faint ghostly chuckling and the rustling of the sleeping creatures stirring in their sleep. He decided to keep his mouth shut.

He watched the creatures as they slept. It seemed like there were less and less of them hanging in the tunnel as they went on.

The tunnel narrowed a bit in front of them, and when the three of them stepped through the smaller opening, a wall of rock slammed down behind them. They all yelped at the sound, but as Dylan aimed his light upward, he noticed that there were no more creatures hanging from the ceiling. He breathed a sigh of relief.

He started forward, still keeping an eye out for those creatures. “Well, I guess we’re safe from those—”

A wall of rock shot up from the ground in front of him and slammed into the ceiling. He screamed and scrambled away, heart racing. He watched as the rock wall sank back into the floor. Dove and Grenade huddled close together and whimpered.

Another wall smashed into the ceiling beyond where the first one had appeared, shaking the tunnel. Dylan hesitated, but he stepped forward again as the second wall sank back down.

The first wall shot up again and he skittered back, almost bumping into Dove. The wall sank back down, but as soon as it disappeared into the floor, it slammed back up to the ceiling. Dust fluttered down on them as the tunnel shook. Another wall beyond the second one rose up and hit the ceiling, and as soon as it sank back into the ground, the second wall shot up again.

Dylan watched as the wall right in front of him appeared again. He assumed they had to get to the other end of this tunnel, but how could they do that with these walls threatening to crush them the moment they took a step forward?

The second wall hit the ceiling and lowered back down. He wracked his brain for a way out. They could just sprint down the tunnel and hope for the best, but that might get them crushed.

The first wall sent the tunnel trembling with its impact to the ceiling. He waited for it to disappear again, but as soon as it went back into the floor, it shot back up again.

He furrowed his brow while the third wall rose up. The first one hit the ceiling twice in a row. It had done that before.

As the second wall shot up again, he grabbed his phone from his bag and went to his notes. He took a cautious step back and watched the first wall hit the ceiling. He typed a 1 into his notes.

The second wall rose from the floor and he typed a 2. The first one went up, then sank down and rose again. Then the third, second, first, second, first, first...

He looked down at the sequence of numbers he’d typed. It was a pattern. He just had to time everything right. When he came into this tunnel, the wall right in front of him had hit the ceiling first, then the second, so he assumed that was the beginning of the pattern. Looking down at his numbers, it must have gone first, second, first, first, third, second.

He looked up at the tunnel in front of him as the second wall, the one in the middle of the tunnel, shot up and shook the cave. “I hate puzzles,” he grumbled, shoving his phone into his pocket.

He waited as the wall right in front of him rose from the floor. If it hit the ceiling again, the other two walls would go up after it and give him enough time to get between the first and second walls. If it didn’t, he’d wait. He heaved an exasperated sigh. He hated waiting.

Luckily, the first wall shot up again, and as soon as it sank back down, he took Grenade’s paw again and sprinted forward. Dove and Grenade squeaked as they ran after him. Dylan glanced down at the ground and stopped, hoping they’d gone over the first wall and weren’t standing right on top of it.

He yelped and jumped back as the second wall slammed into the ceiling right in front of him. He looked back and watched the first wall rise and tried to be patient as the second one did the same right after. Next was the first wall twice and then the third. They would have plenty of time to get past the wall.

The second wall lowered. Dove and Grenade scurried after Dylan as he dashed over the spot the wall had been. He skidded to a stop and turned back to watch the first wall rise, and he took a step back as the third wall in front of them shot up. He shook the rocky dust from his hair as the wall sank back down. It disappeared into the floor and he tugged his dragons after him over the third wall.

He shrieked as the third wall slammed into the ceiling right behind them. He looked back and blinked, wondering why the walls had strayed from their pattern, but it didn’t go back into the floor this time. It remained there, blocking off the tunnel behind Dylan.

 _Good for you, Alvarez,_ a voice giggled, and he jumped. He’d almost forgotten they were in there with him.

 _You may just have half a braincell in that head after all,_ another voice said.

“Yeah, shut up,” Dylan snapped.

He shone his light around the new cave they had ended up in. The crystals in the rock were gone, showing normal, flat stone all around, but now there were two lines of words carved into one of the walls.

He paid them no mind and continued on. However, after a few more steps, he found that he couldn’t continue on. In front of them, the tunnel was blocked off by another wall of rock. In the centre of it was a dial, like a combination lock.

He paused and glanced around the room. The words on the wall glared back at him, as if waiting for him to read them.

He knelt in front of the lock. “Fuck that.” He pressed his ear to the wall and slowly turned the dial with one hand. A very faint click met his ears, and he turned it the other way.

Grenade huffed and motioned at the words with his head. “Buddy, I’m gonna have to ask you to be quiet,” Dylan said. “I’m trying to break through a lock here.”

The dial clicked, and he turned it the other way. Another click. He stood and stepped back as the wall rumbled and began to rise into the ceiling. Dylan watched as the wall disappeared and revealed a way out of the room. Dial locks were so easy. He’d gone through his fair share of them back when he and Grenade stole things from rich people to survive in Angeles. Good times, those were.

Grenade grunted and nudged Dylan in the shoulder. He motioned back towards the words on the wall with an annoyed huff.

Dylan sighed. “Dude, I wasn’t gonna spend ten minutes trying to figure out a damn riddle so I could get the combination. This isn’t Legend of Zelda.”

Grenade rolled his eyes, but he and Dove followed Dylan as he started forward again. As soon as they were through the doorway, the wall of rock slammed shut again. These walls were covered in crystals once again, and they curved upward into a dome that surrounded the circular room. Dylan shone his flashlight across the room and spotted a set of double doors among the crystals.

He cautiously walked into the room, Dove and Grenade trailing behind him. He slipped one dagger into his hand and glanced about the room. There didn’t seem to be anything particularly strange or dangerous around, but he still kept his guard up. He didn’t know when one of those bat creatures might swoop in out of nowhere and start chasing them. 

_You’re almost done, Dylan,_ a voice whispered. _Just one more little thing you need to do._

Dylan furrowed his brow. “And what’s that?”

A tiny green light appeared in the darkness, hanging from one of the crystals on the ceiling. He squinted, trying to make out what it was, but the shadows in the cavern were too stifling.

 _You may have figured out a few things,_ one of the voices hissed, _but can you keep your senses against something you want?_

Dylan wanted to ask what they meant by that, but his words caught in his throat when he spotted a shadow at the edge of his flashlight beam. He whirled around, flashlight swinging as he scanned the cave for that little shadow.

“Hello?” he called out, not to the voices, but to whatever might have been in there with him.

The green light dangling above plummeted to the ground. It clattered on the stone, still faintly glowing. Dylan stepped back with his flashlight beam still aimed at the little green light. Grenade whimpered and huddled closer to Dove as shadowy clouds began to swirl around the room.

“What is this?” Dylan demanded. His heart pounded in his chest as the shadows twisted closer to the green light on the floor. He was no stranger to darkness, but something about these shadows just felt wrong.

Dylan tightened his grip on his dagger. “Dove, Grenade, I think you might want to stand back.”

Grenade shot Dylan a wary glance, but he and Dove stepped back closer to the wall. Dylan kept his eyes on the shadows swirling around the little green light. A feeling of dread settled in his gut. The green light grew brighter, and in a flash, he was no longer in the cave.

He blinked as he took in the scene around him. The Caves were gone, replaced by a living room that looked all too familiar. With a start, he realized it was his own house. He whirled around, searching for any sign of Dove or Grenade, but neither one seemed to be there.

“Dylan?”

He turned to the kitchen door and slipped his dagger back into its sheath. He knew that voice. “Anna?”

The door swung open, and Anna walked in, a little bundle of blankets cradled in her arms. “You’re back already. Did Holly have fun?”

Dylan blinked. “Uh, I’m sorry, what?”

A weight settled in his arms. He almost jumped out of his skin. He was carrying Holiday. When the hell had that happened? When did he pick her up?

Then he noticed that he didn’t have his cloak on anymore. The bag he’d slung across his shoulders was gone, too. What was going on?

Anna furrowed her brow and gave a shaky laugh. “You just took Holly along when you went to visit Jordon? She had a playdate with Jack?” She shifted the bundle of fabric and stepped forward. “Dilly, are you feeling okay?”

Dylan nodded slowly. Hadn’t he just been in the No-Way-Out Caves? How had he gotten here? Could this be some sort of illusion?

Anna smiled and sighed as she walked towards him. “I know you’ve been a little scattered ever since you saved the world. Don’t worry, everything’s fine.” She stood on her tiptoes and pecked him on the cheek. Her lips were so warm and familiar and... and real. There was no way this could be an illusion.

She hefted the little bundle of blankets. “I’m going to go talk to Reese and Jorel.” She raised an eyebrow. “Do you know why?”

Dylan blinked, then slowly shook his head.

“I need to see how the dragons are settling in.”

Dylan let that information sink in. “Dragons?”

Anna nodded. “All the dragons on Angeles were just in hibernation. When Angeles came back, they all woke up. Everyone’s dragons are back.”

Dylan stared at her in bewilderment. He was so certain that hadn’t happened, and yet, what Anna was telling him just felt right, like it had happened and he just forgot about it.

He nodded and swallowed. “Yeah. Right, right. I forgot.”

Anna smiled. “Well, I hope you didn’t forget that George is coming over. He wants to see how you’re doing.”

Dylan nodded again. Yeah, that sounded right. They were in Los Angeles. They had saved the world. Everything was fine.

He gently set Holly on the floor. She immediately grabbed for some toys on the carpet Dylan hadn’t noticed before. “Sorry. I guess I’m just a little confused lately.”

“I get it. Things have been hard.” She held out the bundle of fabric. “Can you take Lily so I can get ready to go?”

Dylan’s eyes widened as he took the bundle from Anna’s arms. “Lily?”

Anna cocked her head, a playful smile on her face. “Don’t tell me you forgot about our daughter.”

Dylan turned his gaze down to the blankets in his arms. Staring back at him was a little pudgy face of a baby. He blinked at it, confused. Anna hadn’t given birth yet. She was still pregnant. They didn’t have another kid right now.

However, when he’d seen her last (whenever that was), she had been pretty far along in her pregnancy. Maybe she had given birth while he was saving the world. Yeah, that made sense. He must have come back to Los Angeles after he and the guys saved the world and been overjoyed when he saw that he had a new daughter. How old was she now? A couple weeks maybe? That sounded about right. Yeah, he and Anna had another daughter. That made perfect sense.

The doorbell rang. “Oh, that must be George,” Anna said. She rushed over and opened the door. “Come on in.”

George stepped into the house. “Hey guys,” he said with a smile as Anna grabbed her jacket off the coat hanger next to the door. “How you been?”

“We’ve been good,” Anna answered. She tugged her jacket on and blew a kiss in Dylan’s direction. “I’ll be back. Don’t destroy the house while I’m gone.”

Dylan smiled. “I’ll try not to.”

Anna walked out the door and shut it behind her. George rested his right hand on the pommel of his sword. “How have you been?” he asked.

Dylan shrugged. He didn’t quite know the answer to that question. He could have sworn he had just been in the No-Way-Out Caves, but the more he tried to recall that memory, the less significant it seemed in his mind. What happened in the past didn’t matter. What was happening right now was the most important. He was here with his daughters and his friend. That was what mattered.

George strode across the room to the couch. “You can talk to me, you know,” he said as he sat down. “I know you’re a little scattered, but I’m here for you, man.”

Dylan’s shoulders relaxed. This felt right. Everything was how it should be. His time in the Caves didn’t matter. He was here. He was home.

He held the baby—Lily, his daughter—tighter and sat down next to George. “I don’t really know what’s up with me lately,” Dylan said. “I just feel like... I don’t know, like I don’t remember how I got here. How we saved the world.”

George chuckled, the sound so familiar to Dylan that it erased all his nerves at once. “Well, you did all the trials on Angeles. I kinda figured out what you were doing when Danny and I came back from our trials and saw you at Bullet’s Edge. We helped you get to the other trials, and then you went to face Aron and Arina.”

Dylan breathed a sigh of relief. That made sense. Even as George spoke, memories popped up in Dylan’s head of what had happened. How could he have forgotten? He went through all those trials and fought Aron and Arina in their stronghold. He defeated them and saved the world. Then everyone came home.

A little thought popped into his head. “George?”

“Yeah?”

He turned to look at George. “What happened to Aron and Arina?”

George shrugged. “You defeated them.”

“But how?” Dylan asked. “I just want to know.”

George didn’t answer. “George,” Dylan said firmly. “Just tell me if they’re alive, at least.”

George looked right into Dylan’s eyes. “What do you think?”

Dylan blinked. George’s eyes were green.

They were supposed to be blue.

Dylan looked George up and down, a sense of uneasiness building in his gut. Something was off. George’s eyes were green. His sword was on his right hip instead of his left. A tattoo of a 2 was on his neck where the 3 should have been. His wedding ring was on his middle finger instead of his ring finger.

This wasn’t George.

Dylan gulped and looked away. He held Lily a little tighter as his heart raced. What was he supposed to do? This entire scenario wasn’t real, but it _felt_ real. Being here felt right. He wanted more than anything to stay here and not worry about anything else. He knew there was something he needed to worry about, something he needed to do, but he couldn’t for the life of him figure out what it was.

“Maybe we should talk about something else,” George—or, the person that looked like George—suggested. “Things are complicated now. I think it would be best not to think about them. Besides, I don’t know what happened to Aron and Arina. You defeated them. Whatever you wanted to happen to them is what happened.”

Dylan narrowed his eyes at not-George. “Who are you?”

Not-George snorted. “What do you mean? I’m George. I’m your friend.”

“No you’re not,” Dylan insisted. “Who or what are you?”

Not-George turned his strange green gaze to the floor. “Dylan, look,” he said softly. “I know this might not be exactly what you expected, but everything you could ever want is here. You don’t have to deal with anything bad here. You can stay.”

“But this isn’t real,” Dylan protested. “I’m still in the Caves, aren’t I?” As soon as he said it, he knew it was true. He never left the Caves. Whatever weird memories of saving the world and going home he had were fake.

Not-George sighed. “Dylan, you don’t have to leave. Look, you have another daughter. We’re all alive. Everything is good here.”

“But it’s not.” Dylan stood, the baby that wasn’t actually his daughter still in his arms. “You’re not real. This isn’t real.” He set his jaw and glared down at not-George. “I want to go back.”

George stared at him. Then his face twisted into a sneer. “Congratulations,” he spat as he raised his hands and clapped slowly in mocking applause. “I’m so proud of you, Dylan. You’re so mature.”

Dylan took a cautious step back as Not-George stood. “You want to go back?” Not-George asked, voice dripping with venom. “Fine. Go.”

Dylan blinked, and when he opened his eyes, the scene of his house was gone. The baby in his arms had disappeared, the furniture was gone, Holly was no longer playing on the floor, and the only source of light was the green glow in the middle of the cavern. His looked down at himself. His cloak and bag were back.

“Good for you,” George’s voice said. Dylan snapped his head up to look and saw that not-George still stood in front of him, arms crossed.

“You didn’t give in or get stuck anywhere,” Not-George sneered. “You must have a little more mental strength than we all thought. But I know what you’re planning on doing. When you leave here and go to the other trials, you’re going to find out a few new things about yourself.” His face split into a bone-chilling smile that didn’t suit George’s face at all. “But here’s a fair warning: you might not like what you find.”

With that, the person that looked like George dissipated into shadows.

A squawk echoed off the walls, and Dove and Grenade ran into view. They both nuzzled up to him, and he pet both of them, relieved to be out of that strange illusion. If he had stayed for much longer, he wasn’t sure whether or not he would actually end up staying forever. It had been so tempting.

He turned to the little glowing green light on the floor. It flickered and glowed a little brighter. He gently nudged Dove and Grenade aside and walked towards it, then knelt down and squinted through the light to examine the source. It appeared to be a crystal. One end was pointed and shiny, and the other was jagged, as if it had been chipped from the wall.

He reached out and scooped it up. It shimmered in his palm. He pushed himself to his feet and turned the crystal in his hands. Grenade leaned down to sniff at it.

The double doors across the room swung open. Sunlight flooded into the cavern, blinding Dylan for a moment. He rubbed his eyes and squinted as his eyes adjusted.

He looked down at the crystal. It had stopped glowing and now sat in his palm, completely dull. A little cloud of shadows swirled around it.

Dylan turned back to the open doors. “Well,” he muttered, “one trial down. Four more to go.”


	26. Home

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> *kicks down your door with an update that's over a week late* I CAN EXPLAIN-
> 
> OKAY so the chapters i'm currently writing are a) both emotionally heavy and physically intense since the guys are going through their trials, b) difficult to write without being in the right mindset, and c) difficult to write without all of them sounding incredibly repetitive what with all the characters having mental breakdowns 24/7. it's been hard to write, so i've been focusing on fics that aren't as repetitive and that i can write easily. but i WANT to finish this fic so bad, so i'm going to try to get back into it. updates may be slow, but god DAMMIT, this fic is going to get finished ONE OF THESE DAYS
> 
> Last time: All the heroes split up to go through their own trials. Dylan finished his and is now on his way to complete his next one. Meanwhile, Arina's trying to jog Aron's memory, and Jeff is determined to get Matt's memories back.

Danny stared down at the ground as Viral soared over the land. “Hey, Jordon?”

Jordon glanced back at Danny. “Yeah?”

“What do you think is going to happen when I go in the Restless Spire?” Danny asked. He couldn’t help but ask the question as they flew across the land towards the ragged spire in the distance. His anxiety was going through the roof as he recalled the things George had told them about Danny’s previous venture into that place. He wanted some form of reassurance that he wouldn’t die.

Jordon shrugged. “I don’t know, man.” He glanced behind them at the black spikes that surrounded Jeff’s Keep. “I’m kinda scared. We don’t know what we’re doing. Maybe we should have asked Dylan to come with us. He knows more about this than we do.”

Danny nodded. “Yeah, maybe.” His stomach flipped when he thought about what he might have to face in the Spire. Bringing Dylan along might have been a better course of action. Then maybe they would have some guidance.

Danny reached behind him and pet Lion’s flank. He stared ahead at the Spire in the distance, a pit of dread building in his stomach.

This was going to be a difficult trial.

* * *

George kept his grip tight on Monarch’s reins as they flew north. He felt Jorel’s gaze burning into the back of his head, and it made him more than a little uncomfortable. He knew Jorel was upset at him about the things George had done two thousand years ago, but Jorel didn’t know the whole story. He wasn’t there when it happened. He didn’t know how terrifying it was to be surrounded by a million people who wanted you dead!

 _Stop troubling yourself over little things_ , Monarch’s voice rumbled. _You can’t change what he thinks. You might just have to wait for him to get over this... irrational concern of his._

George snorted. “I wouldn’t call it irrational,” he whispered. “It makes sense. Did you see what I did last night, putting out the fire? I made those icicles without even trying. Imagine what I could do to a person. I think he’s right to be a little scared. I... I think I’m a little scared.”

 _Don’t be,_ Monarch said. _You may have these strange ice powers, but you can control them. What was it Dylan called you a thousand years ago? Elsa? I’m pretty sure you told me something about her that seems to relate to your current situation._

George couldn’t hold back a laugh. “Right, I forgot I told you a bunch of stuff about the present a thousand years ago. Well, if we’re keeping up with this Elsa comparison, she had trouble controlling her ice powers. I’m just worried that, considering our past of... losing control... I might end up hurting someone. Y’know, like she did.”

“Are you seriously comparing yourself to a Disney princess right now?” Jorel scoffed.

George glanced back and saw Jorel standing a little closer than George originally thought he was. “Oh. Uh, yeah. I just saw the similarities and went with it.”

Jorel snorted. “Whatever, man.” He stared at the landscape ahead. “So, where exactly are we going?”

George hesitated. “Well, both of our trials are up north. I was going to ask you earlier, but I guess I didn’t. Do you want to do yours first or should I do mine?”

Jorel furrowed his brow and scratched Tiger on the head. “I... I don’t think I want to do mine yet.”

“Okay.” George tugged Monarch’s right rein and guided him to the right so they were pointed northwest. “Here’s hoping I don’t die,” he added under his breath.

* * *

“Are you sure going to our Keep is going to get my memories back?”

Jeff glanced over at Matt from where he stood on Shade’s back as they flew through the air. “Hmm? Oh, maybe. I don’t know for sure.” He shrugged. “Guess we’ll have to wait and see.”

Matt stared ahead at the horizon. “I guess so.”

* * *

“Here we are.”

Aron gazed around the field Arina had led him to. They had flown on Nine’s back across the landscape with Arina guiding them to where she wanted to go. Aron wasn’t quite sure why she’d wanted to go to this specific field, but he had to admit, the place was quite pretty. Black flowers sprouted from the ground all around them. Petals fluttered through the air as a gust of wind blew past.

“Where is here?” Aron asked.

Eleven launched off Arina’s shoulders and disappeared into the field of flowers. “I read about this place a thousand years ago. It was way up north in Angeles. The book I read said this place was dangerous, but whatever Dylan did ruined that. I can feel it. Almost all the power in Angeles has been used up to bring the rest of the realm back. Not only that, but the people from a thousand years ago and their magic experimentation effected their one island, and now that the rest of Angeles has fused with it, these power surges are going to mess with all of it.”

Aron furrowed his brow as Nine sniffed at the flowers in the field. “So, you’re saying this place will only be dangerous during one of those power surges?”

“I think that’s the case.” Arina leaned down and plucked a flower from the ground. “These are the Black Dahlia Fields. I think the heroes came here at some point. You were trying to help them back then.” She snorted and tossed the flower to the wind. “Lot of good that did you, considering where we ended up.”

Aron gazed around the field and the flower petals fluttering through the air. The sight of the black flowers sent a pang of nostalgia through his heart. It felt as if he’d been here before.

“Why are we here?” Aron asked.

Arina shrugged. “Dunno. I’ve always wanted to see it, I guess. That, and it’s a nice open space. We can practice using your powers here.”

Aron picked a flower from the field and turned it in his fingers. “Rina, have we ever been here before?”

Arina shook her head. “I haven’t, no. You probably have, though. You told me you used to live here for a while. I think you said you lived in the Swan’s Nest for about twenty years or so. Makes sense that you would have come here sometimes.”

Aron began to pluck the petals off the flower in his hands. He flicked a petal into the wind and it fluttered away into the sky. This place felt more familiar than just a random field he would have found himself in a few times before. It felt like...

“Home,” he muttered. He looked at Nine. “How many times have we been here?”

Nine cocked his head as if he was thinking. He shrugged. “Too many times to count?” Aron asked. Nine nodded.

Arina raised an eyebrow. “Why would you have come here if it was dangerous?”

“I don’t know,” Aron whispered. A tiny memory nudged at his mind. “I think this place doesn’t effect everyone. I remember Jorel telling me what happened to him and the others in these fields, and Dylan wasn’t bothered by them at all. I don’t know why.”

Arina furrowed her brow. “Interesting. I thought the magical places in Angeles effected everyone.”

Aron shook his head as more tiny details surfaced in his mind. “The Grove of Loss only messed with me, Jorel, and George. The others were fine.”

“So some people are just immune to certain kinds of magic?” Arina mumbled, “Cool.”

Aron let another black petal go into the wind as more memories pricked at his head. For a moment, he could have sworn he was back in Angeles a thousand years ago, much younger, having just left Sunset Island with Nine, and seeing this field for the first time. He remembered running through the field with Nine at his side, smiling and laughing at their newfound freedom. He remembered a slanted black rock rising from the ground in front of him and running up to the top to stare at the setting sun as the wind kicked petals up around him. He remembered coming here and feeling like he was finally home.

A wave of nostalgia washed over him. A memory pushed itself to the front of his mind.

_“What the fuck were you doing in the Black Dahlia Fields?” Aron demanded. He stopped near the fire and crossed his arms. “That was one of the places I specifically told you_ _not_ _to go!” He had clearly advised Jorel and his stupid hero friend not to go to the Black Dahlia Fields. He couldn’t believe that they had completely ignored his advice._

_“The dragon rider went there,” Jorel said. “We had to follow him.”_

_“How did you know we went to the fields?” George asked._

_Aron rolled his eyes. “I went to the Plains of Everywhere to figure out where you went. I saw you went to the Black Dahlia Fields and we booked it there as fast as we could. We flew over the whole damn thing trying to find you, but when we didn’t see you, we went back to the Plains to see if you survived.” He tried to keep his panic hidden under a veil of annoyance and frustration. The Black Dahlia Fields were his home. Knowing that they went there made him feel like someone had broken into his house while he was away. It was difficult to keep his cool when it felt like these people had violated his personal space._

_“Well, we’re fine now,” Jorel said._

_Aron sighed. “Wherever you guys go next, I’m going with you. You need a babysitter.”_

_“I mean, I’d say I’m a pretty good babysitter,” Dylan said._

_Nine followed Aron as he walked up to the fire. “You need someone who knows this place so you don’t get yourselves killed.” He sat down near George. “This whole place is a death trap, honestly.” Aron actually wasn’t being completely honest with that statement. There were very few places in the Swan’s Nest that could harm a person. Aron just wanted to make sure that these heroes didn’t end up going into any more of his secret hideaways. This place was his home, and he was not about to let them roam freely through it, especially when there was already a madman running around his place with the intention to destroy the world. If any of them stopped by Angel’s Circle, he would lose it._

“Aron?”

Aron blinked and looked up, snapping himself out of the memory. Arina stood in front of him, Eleven draped across her shoulders. She stared at him with a glint of concern in her eyes.

Aron shook his head vigorously, trying to shake off the memory. “I’m good,” he said. “I think... I think I just remembered something.”

Arina’s eyes widened. “Really? What was it?”

Aron scratched the back of his neck. “I was talking to Jorel. I was worried about him coming here because this place was my home. There was something about another place called Angel’s Circle. I don’t know why it was important, but I didn’t want them to go there for some reason.”

Arina picked another flower and turned the stem between her fingers. “If we want your powers to come back and be reliable, regaining your memories might be the best course of action.” She popped the flower bud off the stem with her thumb. “If this place is important enough for you to remember something like that, maybe Angel’s Circle will bring back more memories.”

Aron nodded. She was right. If they wanted his memories to come back, they needed to find things that were important to him, that would help him remember. He just wasn’t so sure he wanted her to come with him. He didn’t know what Angel’s Circle was, but just thinking about it, the thought of having another person there with him felt like inviting a stranger into his house. Even having her here in these fields set him on edge.

However, he pushed down his apprehension and nodded. “Yeah. I think that might help.” He sat on Nine’s back. “Guess we should go find it.”

Arina tossed her flower stem behind her and rushed over to sit behind Aron. Eleven scampered out of the field with a squeak. He skittered onto her shoulders. Aron stared out at the field, wishing he could have come here alone and spent some time trying to figure things out on his own, but he and Arina had work to do.

Nine spread his wings and flew into the air. Aron gazed down at the black field. He made a promise to himself that he would return later.


	27. Restless

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> *arrives back at this fic a month and a half late with Starbucks* i don't even have good explanation as to why i didn't update, i just totally forgot about this fic for a few weeks
> 
> anyway, i kind of remembered that this fic exists a few days ago and decided i might as well get back into it. i'm over halfway done writing everyone's trials now (i think), i just have to finish up Jordon's and then write three more of Dylan's so i'm slowly chipping my way out of the corner that i wrote myself into. things are still getting steadily more intense with this fic so it's still difficult to write, but i hope i can keep myself from getting stuck again because i REALLY want to finish this fic someday. here's a longer chapter than usual to make up for my absence
> 
> Last time: Arina is helping Aron regain some of his memories. He recalled something about Angel's Circle and decided to bring Arina there in hopes that it will help him remember more. Meanwhile, the heroes are all on their way to complete their trials. Dylan has finished going through the No-Way-Out Caves. Now it's Danny's turn to go through his own trial in the Restless Tower.

Danny stared in awe at the towering structure in front of them. It looked much bigger up close than it did from afar. It was a tall grey spire of rock, the point at the top just brushing the clouds. Just the sight of it sent a chill down Danny’s spine.

Viral swooped down to the ground and settled on the grass. Danny and Jordon scanned their surroundings. The landscape around them would have been a flat, grassy field, but grey stone columns and walls poked out of the ground at strange angles. One column looked like it had risen from the ground and jabbed through the wall of the huge rock spire in front of them. Another wall had formed around a column that was sticking out of the ground at an almost horizontal angle.

“I don’t think I like this place,” Danny whispered.

“Me neither,” Jordon admitted. “It doesn’t look natural.”

Danny slid off Viral’s back and walked up to a column. Lion trotted along behind him. “Didn’t George say there was a tower that stood next to this place?”

“Yeah. Why?”

Danny rested a hand on the column. “I think this is what happened to the tower.”

Jordon gazed at the various ruins scattered around them. “Whoa.” Somehow, Danny’s statement felt like the truth, even though it didn’t make a lot of sense. How would this have happened to the tower? Did something tear it apart?

Jordon watched as Danny gazed at the ruins. He suddenly had a very awful feeling about Danny going into that spire alone.

“Danny?” he said. “Are you sure you want to do this?”

Danny took a deep breath. “It doesn’t really matter what I want. What matters is that we get whatever powers we need to save the world.”

Jordon looked from Danny to the disfigured spire in front of them. “But still. Danny, this doesn’t seem safe. What if... what if you die?”

“Then that’s a me problem,” Danny said. He glanced back at Jordon. “If that happens, you better do a good job at replacing me as the singer in our future albums. I do not want my legacy to go to shit.”

“I can’t believe _I’m_ the one saying this,” Jordon said, “but you can’t deflect this life or death situation with humour. This is serious.”

Danny’s shoulders slumped as he sighed. “Yeah, I know. I just don’t know how else to deal with the crippling anxiety that this entire situation is giving me.” He held up his hands. “My hands are shaking. They haven’t shook since my first live performance!”

Jordon hopped off Viral’s back and rushed over to Danny. It looked like he was going to have to do something he never thought he would do: become the mom friend. George and Jorel were much better at this sort of thing than he was. He wished one of them was here.

He gently took Danny by the shoulders. “Look, everything’s gonna be fine. You don’t have to do this if you really don’t want to.”

“But I do want to,” Danny said. “That’s the problem! I want to help, and going through this dangerous place and getting some kickass powers is going to help.” He wrung his hands as Lion nuzzled at his arm. His breathing sounded quite a bit faster than normal. Oh god, Jordon wasn’t equipped to deal with anxiety attacks.

“I can go in with you—” Jordon offered, but Danny cut him off before he could continue.

“No, you can’t. I’m supposed to do this alone. You heard what George told us about these trials. We have to do them on our own!”

“Okay!” Jordon blurted. “Okay, then.” He paused, wracking his brain for something that might make Danny feel the slightest bit safer. “Look, the signal here is spotty, but it’s decent enough that we can text when we’re close-ish. If anything happens and you need help, just text me. Viral and I will get you out of there in no time. Okay?”

Danny swallowed. “I... I guess that could work. Just don’t come in unless I say it’s an emergency. I need to do this.”

Jordon nodded. “I promise I won’t come in to help unless you need it.” That was a total lie. If Danny didn’t haul his ass out of that god forsaken spire within the hour, Jordon was going to break through those rock walls himself and drag Danny out of there.

Danny nodded. He took a long breath in, then let it out. “Okay. Alright. I can do this.” He stepped away from Jordon and faced the towering spire ahead. “I got this.” He glanced at Lion. “I’ll be back.”

Lion whined and licked at his face. He wished she could come with him, but he got the feeling this particular trial was one that he was meant to brave alone. Danny rummaged through his bag and pulled out his phone. His heart thudded in his chest like a bass drum at the thought of going into that strange rocky tower.

“Try to stay safe,” Jordon said as Danny started towards the spire.

“I’ll try,” Danny reassured him. He turned on his phone flashlight. George had said it was dark in the Restless Spire, and while Danny wasn’t exactly afraid of the dark, he didn’t want to go in blind.

He skirted around a wall and walked up to the ragged tower of rock. He couldn’t see the top from where he stood. He hoped he wouldn’t have to climb all the way to the top from the inside in order to complete this trial. He had no idea what this place might have in store for him now. Things had changed. He knew it was going to throw some of his worst fears at him, but he didn’t even know what his worst fears were.

He wasn’t eager to find out.

He stopped in front of the Spire. He knew that the last time he had been here, he had been wounded, exhausted, and frustrated. He couldn’t remember any of that now. None of the spite or determination he would have had back then was here now. All he felt was fear.

He swallowed and reached out. He placed a palm on the rock. As soon as he touched it, a section of rock split away from the wall and sank into the ground. The land around them trembled as an entrance opened up in the rock wall.

The ground stopped shaking. Inside the Spire was pitch black. Danny hoped his phone flashlight would be enough to let him see. If not, he was in for one dark adventure.

He glanced back at Jordon one last time. Jordon gave him a smile and a thumbs up.

Danny took a deep breath and stepped into the Spire.

Jordon stared after him as the section of rock slammed back into the ceiling, sealing off the entrance. “He’s so gonna die in there,” Jordon muttered. Viral grunted in agreement.

Danny jumped as the entrance closed behind him. He whirled around and was faced with a wall of rock. He was suddenly much more apprehensive about Jordon’s plan to break in if needed. Would he and Viral be able to get in here?

Danny tried to press down his nerves. He swept his flashlight beam around the darkness, searching for anything that might trigger some sort of memory. He saw nothing but darkness. He didn’t even know where the walls were. Weren’t there supposed to be strange voices in here? Why was it so dark if there was supposed to be fire, too? Were they entirely sure they’d gone to the right place?

He hesitantly started forward. “Hello?” he called out.

No voices responded. He wasn’t sure whether he should be relieved or worried about that. If this place was broken somehow, he might not be able to get whatever powers he was needed to help save the world.

He kept trudging forward. Somehow, the idea of facing his worst fears in this place was worse when he didn’t even know what his worst fears were. What would he have to face? His crippling fear of abandonment? The unknown things that occur after one’s death? Or even worse, a giant spider? He shuddered at the thought.

He kept his head and his flashlight on a swivel as he walked. He didn’t see anything dangerous so far, and he half hoped that he wouldn’t come across anything particularly scary. If he could just coast through this without having to fight anything or run from something, that would be all the better.

His light caught on something in the dark and his heart leaped into his throat as he turned to face it. He peered into the shadows. A staircase came into view in front of him.

He glanced about, wondering if this was some sort of trap. He nudged the first step with his foot, and when nothing happened, he stepped onto the staircase.

He slowly made his way up the stairs, casting his light around him to make sure nothing would pop out of the darkness and attack him. This entire scenario felt all too familiar, and not in a good way. Every step made his hair stand on end, and his flashlight beam wobbled as his hands began to tremble again. Something about this place just felt wrong. He felt like he shouldn’t be there. 

Something struck the top of his head and he hissed in pain. He aimed his light upwards and saw that he’d bumped his head on a wooden trapdoor in the stone ceiling. He hesitated, but he reached up and pushed on it. It swung upward. He stared into the darkness beyond the stairs with an increasing feeling of anxiety. He wondered if it was too late to turn around and leave.

However, he just took a deep breath and continued on up the stairs into the darkness.

He emerged upstairs to see a stage. 

He blinked. He had just been in a dark cave, but now he was backstage at a venue he vaguely recognized. It was a small place in Los Angeles. A few people bustled about, moving speakers and getting the stage ready for a performance. He could hear the voices of a crowd beyond the stage. He hadn’t been here in years. Why was he here now?

“Danny!”

He looked up and did a double take when he saw who had said his name. It was Justin, his old band mate from Lorene Drive. It had been so long since he’d seen him, but Danny would recognize that face anywhere. 

“Hey man,” Justin said. He clapped Danny on the shoulder, seemingly oblivious to the crossbow on Danny’s back. “You ready?”

The sounds of the stage crew suddenly ceased, plunging them into silence. Danny snapped his fingers next to his ear to make sure he hadn’t gone deaf out of nowhere. The stage crew was still supposed to be getting things ready. How were they done already?

Justin raised an eyebrow. “Danny?” he repeated quietly. “Come on, man, don’t tell me you got stage fright. You’re our frontman.”

Danny swallowed nervously. He hadn’t played with Lorene Drive in years. He didn’t remember any of their songs. 

However, Justin grabbed Danny’s arm and pulled him towards the stage. “Come on, you’ll do great,” he whispered. 

Danny hesitated. “I—I don’t know—"

Before he could protest further, Justin pushed him on stage in front of a microphone. “Knock ‘em dead, Danny,” Justin whispered. 

The lights came up. Danny winced and squinted through the brightness. He was sure this was supposed to be a memory of his first show, but his first show had at least been accompanied by polite clapping from the crowd. Now he was only met with a silence that was far louder than any cheering. 

Justin squeezed Danny’s shoulder. “Come on, man. Do something.”

Danny stared out at the faceless crowd, feeling like a deer caught in headlights. He didn’t know what song to sing. Even if he sang one he knew, the rest of the band wouldn’t know it and he’d be stuck singing with no music. 

Justin’s voice grew closer. “Come on, Daniel. What are you so afraid of?”

Danny stared out at the glaring lights. A single word pulled itself from his head and out his lips. 

“Failure.”

The scene melted away at once and Danny squeaked in alarm as darkness fell on the cavern around him. He clutched his phone and aimed the light around him. Justin still stood there, but an unnaturally wide smile spread across his face.

“It’s so good to see you again, Daniel Rose,” he said. Another voice reverberated beneath his and echoed off the walls. This definitely was not Justin.

Danny reached back and grabbed his crossbow with one hand. “What are you?” he asked.

Justin slowly paced around the shadows. Danny tracked him with his flashlight. “It’s been quite a while, hasn’t it?” Justin said, that oddly wide smile still on his face. “How long exactly? Ten years? A thousand?” His smile stretched a little wider. “I can _never_ keep track.”

Danny shuddered. Whatever this thing was, Danny couldn’t stay in the same room as it. He couldn’t stand seeing it walking around looking like Justin.

Justin chuckled. “Don’t like this? Fine. I can change.” He dissolved into shadows, and Danny swung his light around, trying to see where the creature disguised as Justin had gone.

“Is this better?” said a lighter, much more familiar voice. Danny recognized it immediately.

Reese stepped into view of his flashlight beam. That same too-wide smile was plastered on her face. Seeing Reese of all people giving Danny that malicious grin was like something out of his worst nightmares.

Reese strolled back into the shadows. “Tell me, Daniel,” said a voice somewhere in the darkness. “What scares you the most about this adventure you’re on? You don’t want to fail, but what would be the worst way for you to fail? Dying in here and not being able to help? Being unable to pass this trial and being abandoned by your so-called friends?” There was a small gasp. “Oh, I think I know something even worse!” The voice sounded like it was right in his ears when it spoke next. “You could mess everything up, and then they’ll simply replace you with someone better, just like they did with Aron. After all, you were meant to be Aron’s replacement at first, weren’t you? What if you messed up so badly, they replaced you with the one you were meant to replace?”

Danny swallowed back his growing unease. “That wouldn’t happen,” he said, his voice shaking.

The voice laughed. “Said with the confidence of a man with his hand caught in the cookie jar. Where did all your confidence go? Aren’t you a performer?”

“Yes,” Danny answered. He took a deep breath. This was fine. Nothing had hurt him yet.

“You’re right,” the voice said. “I haven’t hurt you yet. But physical torture isn’t as fun of a way to figure out your fears.”

Footsteps walked towards him in the shadows. His heart leaped into his throat and he whirled around to see Reese striding towards him, still smiling. “I think I’d like to try out something a little more personal this time around,” she hissed.

Danny backed away. He clutched his crossbow tighter, knowing that even if this creature that looked like Reese attacked, he’d never have the courage to shoot it.

Reese laughed. “This is going to be fun! What’s something you would hate to hear from your wife? Let’s see...” Her smile wilted and curled into a sneer of disdain. “I never loved you,” she said in a perfect imitation of Reese’s voice. “I hate everything about you and I always have. I’m leaving with Roman and Scarlett and I never want to see or hear from you again.”

Danny knew this wasn’t really Reese, but just hearing those words in her voice made him want to crawl into a hole and die. He cringed at her words.

Reese snorted. “Oh, this really is fun. I should have done something like this a long time ago. I mean, there weren’t many people I could have turned into to traumatize you. Besides, you had way too many internal fears. I couldn’t choose just one!” She crossed her arms as she continued to pace around the room. “There are so many people I could torment you with, but I think this one is the one that really bothers you the most, isn’t it?” She raised an eyebrow. “I mean, I think being one of your kids would be much more bothersome. Then again, I’ve already gotten quite attached to this form. Your wife is very pretty.” She sighed. “However, I think I must confess something.” That too-wide smile split across her face again. “I shouldn’t even be here.”

Danny blinked. “What?” What did this thing mean, it wasn’t supposed to be there? Wasn’t it some sort of illusion the Restless Spire made for him to face?”

Reese laughed. “Oh Daniel, the Spire can only make full scenes, not specific people. I lied. I’m not part of the Spire.”

Danny’s hand shook as he tracked her with his flashlight. “Then what are you?”

Reese dissolved into shadows. “Take a wild guess,” a voice hissed in the shadows. It didn’t sound like Reese anymore. More like someone Danny had seen just the day before.

Arina walked into view of his flashlight, spear in hand. She tapped it on the ground with each step, and bright blue lightning sparked along the shaft.

“You should be glad I came to see you instead of Aron,” she said, still pacing. “He’s got a lot of pent up anger about you replacing him. If it was him here instead of me, you would probably be dead by now.”

Danny tried to hide his surprise at the sight of Arina. “Where’s Aron?”

Arina shrugged. “Dealing with some of your other friends. He has a particular grudge against Jorel, in case you haven’t noticed. I probably should have gone along to hold him back. Oh well. Looks like you’ll have to scrape Decker’s remains off the ground of the Grove of Loss. I doubt Aron’s going to leave much left for you to clean up and put in a coffin.”

A spike of fear shot through Danny’s heart. If Aron was fighting Jorel right now, Jorel might very well be dead already.

He shook his head. No, Jorel had George with him. George could protect him.

“I don’t know if Georgie will be able to protect him,” Arina said, as if she knew exactly what he was thinking. “Aron’s got quite the temper.” She smirked. “And you’re stuck in here, unable to do anything about it. It’s not like you’ll be alive in a few minutes anyway, but I just thought I would have some fun before I put you out of you misery. Who knew tormenting you would be so damn fun?” She gripped her spear tighter. “That said, I think it might be time to stop playing around and actually get down to business.”

She lunged at him with her spear. Danny yelped and raised his crossbow to block the blow. His phone clattered to the ground, and metal clanged on metal as the shaft of Arina’s spear hit Danny’s bow. Danny grit his teeth and tried to stand his ground as Arina pushed him back.

“You’re stronger than I thought you’d be,” Arina mused. She grinned as if the strength she was using didn’t take any effort at all.

She shoved Danny back and he stumbled. He toppled to the ground. The air left his lungs in a sharp burst as he landed on his back. The light from his phone on the ground flickered and went out, leaving him in darkness. He clutched his crossbow close and frantically glanced around for Arina. He had no idea how she’d gotten in here. He thought only one person could be in the Spire at once. Whatever the case, she was here, and she was going to kill him.

He scrambled to his feet as Arina’s laugh echoed in the darkness. “This is so much more fun than I originally thought. I didn’t think scaring you would be so easy!”

Rapid footsteps sprinted towards him, and in a panic, he raised his crossbow and fired a bolt into the shadows. He heard a faint thud as it connected with something, followed by a grunt.

“Is that what you’re doing now?” Arina scoffed. “You’re fighting back? What are you going to do then? Kill me? You think your friends would be too happy with you if you killed someone?”

Something struck Danny’s back and he fell forward. He just managed to catch himself before his forehead hit the ground. He rolled onto his back just as Arina’s spearhead slammed down where his head had just been. Lightning crackled on the weapon, lighting up her vicious smile for a second. Just the sight of it made Danny want to run away screaming.

She raised her spear again and he rolled out of the way. His flashlight flickered on for a brief moment, just long enough to see Arina rearing back her spear to throw. He ducked as the weapon whipped past his face and disappeared in the darkness. It zipped past his head again and landed in Arina’s hand. His flashlight blinked on and off, and he tried to keep his gaze on Arina as he ran across the room. There didn’t seem to be a way for him to escape, and when the thought of texting Jordon to get in here and help crossed his mind, he remembered that his phone was currently on the floor and possibly broken, if the flickering light was any indication. He couldn’t even get to it without Arina trying to skewer him.

He saw Arina’s silhouette sprinting towards him in the flickering light of his phone. He leaped out of the way just as she barrelled past with her spear. “Oh come on, Murillo,” she scoffed from somewhere in the dark. “Stop prolonging the inevitable. You can’t avoid me in here! If you let me kill you now, maybe I’ll make it quick!”

Danny nocked back his bow, ready to shoot the second he could figure out where Arina was. At this point, he didn’t care if he killed her. He just needed to keep her from killing him.

The entire room went silent. Danny held his breath, hoping Arina couldn’t hear him in the dark. No footsteps, not even the faintest sound was audible. It was as if Arina had completely disappeared.

“Found you.”

Something slammed into Danny’s back. The world turned upside-down as he flew across the room, and a dull pain struck his back as he tumbled across the floor.

He squeaked as a hand grabbed the front of his shirt and lifted him off the ground. Arina’s smiling face appeared in the blinking light of his phone on the floor. She held up her spear. The metal point crackled with electricity. “Any final words, Daniel?”

Danny gripped her wrist with his free hand, trying to pry her hand off him, but her grasp was too strong. His mind and heart both raced as he struggled. He might die here. He’d never see Reese or his kids or his friends or his family ever again.

A feeling of determination and anger washed over him, so intense he was sure he would be seeing red if he wasn’t stuck in darkness. No, he was going to get out of here. He wasn’t about to let Arina win.

He kicked out wildly, and his shoe connected with Arina’s stomach. She let out a gasp of air and dropped him, and the thought crossed his mind that she wasn’t wearing her armor and probably should have been if she was planning on fighting him. He pushed that thought aside and gripped his crossbow with both hands. Arina’s footsteps rushed towards him. He raised his bow to where her head might be and fired without hesitating.

A dull thud met his ears as the arrow hit its target. The footsteps stopped. He heard a thump, and then total silence fell on the room.

His flashlight blinked on and stayed on. He scooped up his phone and turned the beam to where Arina had been.

Arina lay completely limp on the floor. An arrow stuck out of her forehead, and a tiny stream of blood trickled down the side of her face. Her eyes stared off into nothing, blank and lifeless.

Danny lowered his crossbow as the scene before him registered in his mind. He killed someone.

A cold laugh echoed off the walls. He jumped and whirled around, searching for the source of the laugh. _You’ve already seen so much death_ , a voice whispered from the shadows. _Did you really want to cause more?_

He felt a hand grab his shoulder. He tried to jerk away, but the hand’s weight remained. The voice gave another chilling laugh. _Did you really think Arina would waste her time on you?_

He looked down at Arina’s dead body. She was still, but then her hand twitched. Danny watched with growing horror as a smile spread across her face. _You didn’t think I was really here, did you?_ Her lips moved as the voice spoke, despite the undeniable fact that she had been dead just moments before.

The hand on his shoulder turned him around. Another Arina stood behind him, also with a crossbow bolt in her forehead and a grin on her face. _Tell me, Daniel,_ she said, _how does it feel to know you would kill someone?_

Danny wrenched his shoulder out of her grip and backed away. “I—I didn’t mean—I just—”

 _Oh honey, of course you didn’t_ , said a third voice in the shadows, dripping with false sympathy. _You only pointed a lethal weapon in the direction you knew her head was and fired without hesitation in a little fit of rage._

Danny’s heart pounded as he backpedaled away from Arina’s formerly dead body and the new Arina in the room. “No, no, I was just trying to... defend myself. I didn’t want—”

Another hand grabbed his shoulder in an iron grip. _It definitely looked like you wanted to kill her._ Arina’s smiling, bloody face came into view. _How does it feel knowing you have the capacity to be a killer?_

Danny shook his head. No, he wouldn’t have hurt her if he could help it! He was just trying to make sure she didn’t kill him first!

Arina barked out a laugh. _Oh, sure you were. You thought Arina was really here, and you killed her without even thinking._

Another hand curled around his shoulder. _So, Daniel, what are you afraid of?_

Danny glanced down at the body of Arina still on the ground. The words pulled themselves from his mouth against his will.

“Doing the wrong thing.”

His flashlight flickered and the hand took itself off his shoulder. Reese’s voice hissed in his ear next. _What else?_

The words she’d said earlier about leaving him echoed in his head. “Being left alone.”

Reese chuckled. _You know, this certainly is interesting. Your fears back then were so... simple. You feared death. Fire. Pain. Crowds. Now there are so fewer fears for me to play with, but it’s so much more fun to get under your skin. Look at you. You’re shaking._

Danny tightened his grip on his crossbow in a useless attempt to stop his hands from trembling. He almost wished this thing would go back to trying to kill him. That, at least he could fight.

He jumped when Arina ducked back into his vision. _Maybe it would be a little more fun if we dug up a few past... issues._

His flashlight flicked off. He yelped and dropped his phone in surprise. It was a wonder how the whole thing hadn’t shattered by now.

An orange light blazed to life across the room. Danny blinked in the sudden brightness and squinted. Dancing yellow flames had appeared on one point at the edge of the room. They trailed to either side along the wall, illuminating the room. Arina was nowhere in sight. Danny was left alone.

The flames around the large room swelled higher, and a bolt of fear lanced through his heart as smoke drifted upward. He had never been afraid of fire before, but now that he was surrounded by it and stuck in this room with growing flames, his breathing quickened and he found it difficult to keep calm. The fire was going to kill him if he didn’t get out of here.

A deep growl rumbled through the air. He whirled around to face the direction it had come from. Out of the flames prowled a lithe dragon with feathery wings. Its fur and feathers gave a metallic sheen in the flickering light of the fire. It took his fear-muddled brain a moment to recognize the dragon.

“Lion?” he muttered. He took a step back. Why was she here?

She bared her teeth in a snarl as she made her way towards him. Danny knew she couldn’t have gotten in here and this couldn’t actually be the real Lion, but he knew he wouldn’t be able to bring himself to kill her if he had to. He’d really only known Lion for a few days now, but just the thought of hurting her made his stomach turn.

Another growl rose up behind him. He turned around to see another much larger dragon emerging from the flames. At first glance, he thought maybe it was Viral. It had the same spiky ridges along its back. However, it didn’t have the same white lightning-like patterns on its hide. It bared its teeth, flames flickering between its fangs, and Danny’s entire body seized up in sheer terror.

_What else are you afraid of, Daniel Rose?_

A dozen things came to mind. Dying. Hurting things he cared about. Being stuck in a situation he didn’t like with no way out. Oddly enough, however, as he stared frozen at the large dragon in front of him, he found that the thing he was most afraid of in that moment was the possibility of knowing exactly what had happened to him over a thousand years ago. He didn’t want to know what those strange nightmares he had were about. He didn’t want to know where this irrational fear of fire had come from. He wanted all of that to stay in the past where it belonged.

The dragon’s mouth split into a wide smile. _You think you can avoid this?_ it hissed. _It was inevitable that you would find out eventually. Why not figure it out now and get it over with?_

A hand grabbed his shoulder and he whipped his head around to see Arina. The crossbow bolt stuck out of her forehead, the short wooden shaft coated in blood. _Wouldn’t it be better to know than to run around clueless?_

Lion circled around him and Arina, snarling. Danny kept his crossbow lowered. _You’re too afraid to learn about your own past,_ Arina scoffed. _If you knew, you would be a much more useful asset to your little group of heroes._

Danny grimaced. “I don’t need to know how I got traumatized in my past life in order to be a decent hero in this one.” His voice shook as he spoke, but just that statement alone brought back a little bit of confidence.

Arina laughed and gripped his shoulder, her fingers digging into his skin. Pain shot through his shoulder at the pressure. _You’re nothing to them right now. You’re just a coward._

Danny cast a fearful glance at Lion and the other dragon in the flames. Both of them bared their teeth and growled. The sight of the larger ridged dragon within the fire brought forth a few unfamiliar memories that he didn’t even know he had. He had never been stuck in the middle of a town burning to the ground, at least not in this life, and yet the image was clear as day in his mind.

 _You’re afraid of this,_ Arina said. _Don’t you remember?_

Danny shook his head as her fingertips dug into his shoulder. His knees began to buckle from the pain. He grabbed Arina’s wrist and tried to pry her hand off his shoulder. “No I don’t,” he grunted through gritted teeth. He didn’t want to know what happened to him.

Arina released his shoulder. He clutched it in one hand, grimacing through the dulling pain. _You’re afraid to know. I understand why. But those memories are in there somewhere, and sooner or later, they’re bound to resurface._

She lashed out and grabbed him by the throat. Her fingernails scratched the side of his face. Her skin burned against his as if it was on fire. Black spots danced in his vision, a scream welled up in his throat before it was cut off by Arina’s tight grip on his neck. The horrible lancing pain brought forth memories of flames and burning buildings, things he didn’t want to see or know.

 _You’re stupid for refusing to accept your past,_ Arina sneered. _You’re too much of a coward to even think about what happened to you. Why don’t you just let your fear take over again? All you are is a coward. If you want to know anything about your past, you have to embrace your fear._

Danny dropped his crossbow and grabbed at Arina’s arm, trying to pry her burning hand off his skin. Her words barely registered in his brain. He tried to speak, scream, make any noise at all, but her thumb pressed into the back of his jaw, cutting off his words before they were on his tongue.

 _Accept that you’re a coward,_ Arina spat. _Now, if you can manage to muster up a little breath, why don’t you answer the question I keep asking?_ She grinned wider. _What are you afraid of?_

Danny’s vision swam. He hardly processed her words. However, he managed to choke out two spiteful words that he was sure would be his last.

“Not you.”

He was on the ground before it even registered that Arina had let go of him. He gasped in air like he hadn’t breathed in years. Searing hot pain settled over the skin on his neck, and he gingerly reached up to touch it. Agony lanced through him the second his fingers made contact. He squeaked out in pain and instead focused on breathing. Every breath made his throat burn, but he tried to ignore that.

He glanced up at the thing that looked like Arina, neck aching with the movement. She stood in front of him with one eyebrow raised. Lion and the other dragon behind her had disappeared into the fire.

 _You’re not afraid of me?_ Not-Arina scoffed. _Not after everything I’ve just done? You’re not afraid of anything I mentioned?_

Danny scrambled for his crossbow. His fingers latched onto the bow and he pulled it towards him. “No,” he croaked. His voice was raspier than Matt’s. He narrowed his eyes at her. “I’m not going to hurt anyone. I’m not going to do the wrong thing.”

 _You’re afraid of having to kill someone_ , Not-Arina said. _I know that. I know you inside and out. I could trap you in a burning building and laugh as you burn, and you still wouldn’t have the nerve to kill—_

Danny raised his bow and shot her.

The thing that looked like Arina stumbled back from the arrow that planted itself in her chest. She blinked. Her legs crumpled beneath her, and she fell to the ground.

The fires around the room slowly lowered until they were dull flames, just bright enough to keep the room lit. Another tiny flame burst to life in front of him, right next to Arina. He squinted at it. The head of her spear was wrapped in yellow fire.

He leaned down and reached for it. Somehow, he knew this tiny flame wouldn’t hurt him. He grabbed the spearhead and wrenched it from the shaft. It sat in his palm, smoking and flickering.

Jordon had practically chewed off all of his nails from nervousness at this point.

He stood outside the Spire with Viral and Lion, bouncing on the balls of his feet. “What if he tried to call me already and it just didn’t go through?” he asked.

Viral huffed and rolled his eyes. “I know I’m probably just being paranoid,” Jordon said, “but still. He could die in there! Maybe we should go get him. Do you think we should go get him?”

Viral looked like he was about to answer, even though Jordon wouldn’t be able to understand him anyway, but he was cut off when the ground began to rumble. Jordon looked up at the Spire to see that a section of rock was sinking into the ground, opening a doorway into pitch black nothingness.

Danny appeared in the doorway, leaning on the wall. A dark handprint rested on the skin of his neck and under his chin, as if someone with flaming hands had tried to strangle him. His crossbow was slung over his back.

He held up his hand, which held a tiny metal spearhead. “Got the thing,” he rasped.

With that, he collapsed to the ground.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> i'm really sorry about the late update. i'll try to write more of this fic since now i'm about 22 chapters ahead of schedule for my main Sanders Sides fic and i have more time to write other stuff. updates might still be a little slow though, so please be patient!
> 
> P.S. happy halloween :)


	28. Something To Believe

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> GOD it's been a while. sorry about the sporadic updates, i'm still working on the heavier chapters and getting held back by other fics. i'm determined to finish this fic, though, so here's the next flashback chapter since i'm currently working on the second to last flashback. i'm almost done publishing another fic so hopefully i can at least update this one every couple weeks instead of every month. no promises though!
> 
> Last time (in the thousand year flashbacks): The heroes arrived at a strange island called the Empire where everyone engages in the magical trials in the realm of Angeles. Elizabeth, the leader of the high council of the Empire, took the heroes to meet the warrior who keeps the island safe from attacks by the undead soldiers. Jeffrey offered to make his Keep on the island, rendering the warrior relatively useless. When Aron met the warrior, a strange magical connection between them upset the warrior and Elizabeth escorted the heroes away. Aron decided later that night to go free the warrior lady from her prison beneath the island.

**One Thousand Years Ago**

Aron kept his hood over his head as Nine swooped down towards the black rocks sticking out of the ground. His stomach turned, but he wasn’t sure whether it was from excitement or anxiety. He desperately wanted to talk to this lady again, but he didn’t know what her reaction would be to him breaking into her prison this late at night. She might freak out and attack him.

He shook that thought out of his head. She’d been relieved to see him before. She wouldn’t hurt him.

Nine gently landed on the ground within the circle of obsidian spikes. Aron slid off his back and made his way to the centre of the circle. He peered at the ground, searching for the keyhole Darius had shoved the key into in order to open the door into the lady’s prison. It didn’t take too long for him to catch a glimpse of it, despite the fact that the moonlight was the only thing providing him with light. He knelt down and dug around in his pockets for his set of lockpicks. He hoped it wouldn’t be a difficult lock to pick.

Nine sat down and watched as Aron fiddled with his picks. It wasn’t too hard of a lock, but it still took a bit more time than he anticipated to get it open. As soon as he heard the final click, he began to have doubts. What if he got caught?

He turned the lock. Cyan lines lit up in the stone, forming the outline of a trapdoor. The door swung downward. Aron stared down at the stairwell lit with blue torches and pushed down his apprehension. He already got this far. No point turning back now.

He stepped onto the stairs, and Nine scurried after him. The stone shook as the entrance closed behind them. Aron ran a hand along the wall as he walked down the stairs. The blue flames in the torches cast eerie shadows along the stairwell. Aron stayed close to Nine as they descended, keeping one eye on the strange blue torches.

Aron held out an arm to stop Nine just before they reached the end of the stairs. He leaned down and peeked into the cave to see if any guards were present. Luckily, it seemed to be empty.

Aron and Nine stepped off the stairs and onto the floor. Aron hesitantly tiptoed towards the double doors at the other end of the room and Nine creeped along behind him. Aron sorted through his lockpicks as soon as they reached the doors, but then he noticed that the padlock was on the floor. He furrowed his brow. Why wasn’t it locked up?

Then he heard voices from behind the doors. Now that he knew he wasn’t alone, he felt he should leave, but his curiosity got the better of him. He pressed his ear to the doors and listened.

“You know very well that I don’t like you screaming like that,” said a familiar voice. With a start, Aron realized it was Elizabeth, the council member with the crystal from the No-Way-Out Caves.

A muffled voice mumbled something Aron couldn’t make out, and Elizabeth scoffed. “You know your brother is never coming here. That man couldn’t be him. We sent him away so he couldn’t hurt us. I wish we’d done the same to you. Or better yet, we should have tossed you both into the ocean and let you die. You’re too much of a hassle to deal with.”

Another mumble, and Elizabeth barked out a laugh. “Oh, I wouldn’t give a damn if one of those undead soldiers killed you. Maybe next time they show up, we’ll just toss you into the fray and let them tear you apart. At this point, we might as well destroy the armor we made for that brother of yours. If he ever comes back, we’re just going to kill him before he can do any harm.”

This was followed by louder mumbles that Aron might have been able to decipher if he had time to process it, but Elizabeth interrupted his thoughts. “Next time you pull a stunt like that, I’m not bringing you food for three days. We’ll see how you fare when you can hardly move.”

Footsteps walked towards him from inside the room, and he jumped aside just as the doors swung open. One of them hit him on the forehead, but he stifled a yelp and hid behind the door as Elizabeth left the room. Nine ducked behind the other door just before Elizabeth walked out of the room.

“And don’t let me see your pathetic attempts to escape again,” she said. “It’s such a hassle to up your security.” She paused. “If you’d like, I can leave the door open. Just so you have a little more light.”

Silence. “Thank you,” said a quiet voice from inside the room.

Elizabeth sighed. “Hera will bring you your breakfast in the morning. She can let you out for sparring practice. Just don’t terrorize the Emperor and its rider.”

With that, Elizabeth walked towards the stairs, her footsteps echoing off the walls. Aron peeked around the edge of the door and watched her leave. He looked at the other door. Nine poked his head out from behind the door and exchanged a determined glance with Aron. Neither of them liked the way Elizabeth had spoken to the lady in the cave.

Aron creeped out from behind the door. His foot nudged the chains and padlock on the floor. “Who’s there?” the lady’s voice squeaked from inside the cave.

Aron stepped into the doorway and squinted into the darkness. A pair of chains stretched down from the ceiling, the cuffs on the end clamped around the wrists of the woman curled up in a ball on the floor. She stared at Aron with wide eyes.

“You again,” she whispered.

Aron took one step into the room, unsure of whether or not he should approach this lady again. She had seemed a little unstable last time he saw her.

Oddly enough, however, he couldn’t help but trust that she wouldn’t harm him. He walked into the room and knelt down to her level so he wasn’t towering over her. “I heard what Elizabeth said to you,” he said. He kept his voice quiet so as not to startle her. “If you don’t mind me asking, what was this she mentioned about a brother?”

The woman blinked at him in silence. She slowly pushed herself to her feet, and Aron wondered offhandedly how she could even support her own weight. She was even skinnier than he was, and that was saying something. Just how often did they feed her down here?

He stood with her. She wriggled her small hands out of the cuffs on her wrists until she was free of her bonds. The cuffs clattered to the ground. She stared at Aron in what might have been shock.

 _“You’re_ my brother,” she said.

Nine squeaked and looked at Aron, as if Aron had any answers to Nine’s unspoken questions. Aron was a little taken aback by the woman’s statement, but for some strange reason, he wasn’t surprised in the slightest. The minute Elizabeth had mentioned that this mysterious warrior lady had a brother, Aron couldn’t get the thought out of his head that he was somehow connected to this dangerous warrior. The possibility of being her brother was unrealistic, a totally wild assumption to make considering that he had never even heard of this place or been here before, but his gut told him that she was right. This was his sister.

“What’s your name?” he asked.

“Arina.” Her voice was a bit louder now, like she was less scared to be speaking. “I... I have a dragon, too. His name’s Eleven.” Her gaze flickered to Nine. “Yours?”

“This is Nine,” Aron answered.

A slight smile twitched onto Arina’s face. “Strange coincidence.”

Aron mirrored her smile. “I guess. I’m Aron.”

Arina gazed at him in disbelief. Then she rushed forward and wrapped her arms around him in a tight hug. Aron automatically returned the hug. She was a bit stronger than she looked. He may have only just met her, but there was an immediate familial connection between the two the second they met. The closest thing Aron had ever had to a family was living on the streets with Jorel and Jeffrey as kids, but that had fallen apart. The next closest thing was Nine, but that was just a connection between a dragon and its companion. This was different. Aron actually had a proper family member, someone he was related to by blood.

Arina pulled away and grabbed Aron by the shoulders. “Why did you come here?”

“I don’t know. I came down here to talk, but after hearing the way Elizabeth talks to you, I was thinking I could break you out of here.”

Arina snorted. “You don’t need to get me out of here. I can do that on my own. I sneak out almost every night.”

Aron blinked. “If you can get out, then why don’t you just run away?”

Arina’s face fell. “I still have to protect this place. That’s my purpose. It’s the only reason I’m alive. That’s why I have the powers I have. It’s the reason I was born. It’s the reason you were born, too. You were destined to come back here and protect everyone. Look.”

She pointed to the armor stand to the left of the room. A black suit of armor sat on it, complete with a bright pink one-shouldered cape and a spear. “That’s yours,” Arina said. “It was made for you. You were sent away because you were dangerous, but the Guardian’s rider brought you back and now you can help me.”

Aron raised an eyebrow and looked at Nine. Nine just shrugged.

Aron turned back to Arina. “So, you’re saying you don’t want to leave here? You don’t want to get out and leave the people who are trying to keep you trapped here?”

Arina turned her gaze to the ground and wrung her hands together. “I mean... I do want to do that. But Elizabeth always said this is my purpose. This is why I was born.”

“Well, you can’t trust everything people tell you. You can be your own person.”

Arina looked up and stared at him. “What does that mean?”

Aron examined her confused face to see if there was even a hint that she might be joking. There wasn’t. It seemed she was totally blind to the concept of being independent.

“You can make decisions for yourself,” Aron said. “Have you ever chosen to do something without someone else making you do it?”

Arina furrowed her brow. “I choose to sneak out a lot. No one else makes me do that.” She looked out at the cave beyond her little cell. “But I don’t know if I could run away. I don’t know what I would do without Elizabeth. She takes care of me.”

“It sounds to me like she’s not very good at the whole ‘caring’ thing,” Aron pointed out. “Most people don’t lock up people they care about and then threaten to not feed them for three days.”

Arina blinked. “They don’t?”

“No. Look, I haven’t exactly had the best caretakers in my life either, but this is definitely not good. Excuse my language, but Elizabeth is an asshole. It’s your decision, but I honestly think the best course of action would be getting you out of here.”

Arina furrowed her brow as if she was thinking. “I... I don’t know.”

“What do you want to do?” Aron asked.

Arina was silent for a moment. “I want to stab Elizabeth in the face,” she grumbled. “She’s been nothing but awful to me.” She set her jaw. “I want out.”

She turned and strode to one of the armor stands, the one with the bright blue one-shouldered cape. She started taking pieces of armor off the stand and putting them on. “Put on your armor,” she said. “If we’re not coming back here, I don’t want to be left defenseless.”

Aron looked at the armor on the other stand. He stared at the numerals on the chestplate, IX painted in bright pink. He had never put on a suit of armor before. He wasn’t sure if he could do it by himself. Not only that, he was a little hesitant to commit to running away with his sister. He’d come here with the intention to talk to her and find out why she was so important to him. Now that he knew the answer to that, he was tempted to just leave. He had the feeling that if he went with Arina, the friendship with Jorel he’d spent the last few months repairing would fall apart.

But he knew he would regret it if he left his only family to rot in an underground cell.

He walked up to the armor stand and started taking pieces off. He started with the chestplate. It looked easy enough.

He hesitated before he took off his cloak, however. It showed that he was a hero, that he was part of Jorel’s family. He wasn’t sure if he was ready to possibly give up on Jorel when they just got back on good terms.

“You need help?” Arina asked as she strapped her chestplate on.

Aron shook himself out of his thoughts. “No, I got it.”

He let his cloak flutter to the ground. It took some work, but with Nine’s help, he managed to put on most of the armor. It all fit perfectly somehow, like the people who made it knew his exact size and shape. It wasn’t uncomfortable at all, the way he thought armor would be. Nine sniffed at his gauntlets in curiosity.

He clasped the pink cape over his shoulder and turned to Arina. With her armor on, she looked much less weak. Her frail form was hidden under layers of black metal, and with that spear over her shoulder, all doubts of her being a dangerous warrior were thrown out of Aron’s mind.

She rushed over to the wall at the back of the room. “There’s a passage through here. Come on.”

Aron glanced at the open door. “We don’t have to sneak out. We’re going to be gone. They won’t know where we went.”

Arina blinked. “Right. I forgot.”

She walked up to the open door and paused just before she stepped outside the cave. “Are you sure no one will find us?” she whispered.

Aron and Nine approached her and stood at her side. Aron knew why she was hesitant—she had been kept here for years and told that this was her entire purpose. It made sense that she didn’t know if she could leave without consequences, especially if she had snuck out before and gotten punished once she was caught.

“We’ll make sure Elizabeth doesn’t bother you anymore,” Aron stated. And he meant it. He wasn’t going to let Elizabeth or any of those council members anywhere near his sister.

Arina took a deep breath and nodded. “Okay.”

With that, she stepped through the doorway, Aron and Nine on her heels.

* * *

“Aron’s gone.”

George paused in lacing up his boots and looked up at Jorel. “What do you mean?”

“I mean, he’s gone.” Jorel held up Aron’s dual swords. “He left these in our room. He and Nine are nowhere around here. I already asked people if they’d seen him and everyone said no.”

Dylan grimaced as he dragged a brush through his knotted hair. “I’m sure he’s fine. He probably just went out for a flight with Nine.”

“I don’t know,” Jorel muttered. “I’m just worried, okay? Can we go search for him?”

Dylan set his brush down and tied his hair back with a ribbon. “We have to figure out Jeff and his Keep stuff. He and Matt already went ahead to that warrior lady’s prison to get things sorted out. Pretty sure Jeff and Shade haven’t gotten their Keep sorted out yet, but I think we’ll hear it when they—”

He was interrupted by a great, rumbling roar that shook the ground. Jorel clutched Aron’s blades tighter as Tiger whimpered, but George didn’t even flinch at the sound.

“Guess they’ve got their Keep figured out.” George finished tying his laces and stood up. “We should go join Jeff and Matt. Aron and Nine will turn up eventually.”

Aron and Nine, however, did not turn up.

The rest of the heroes arrived at the circle of towering black spikes after a quick breakfast, which was more than a little stressful for Jorel. He was itching to find out where Aron had gone.

The first thing they noticed upon landing in the newly claimed Emperor’s Keep was Jeff and Shade’s glowing eyes. It was a little unnerving to see, but the heroes pushed down their apprehension. George said that was normal, so they would trust his judgement.

“Hello heroes,” Elizabeth said with a smile as soon as they landed. “The Emperor is settling in quite well. You really don’t have to waste your time staying here for any longer if you wish to leave. We would hate to be a bother.”

George furrowed his brow as he slid off Monarch’s back. “It’s not a bother. We’re actually kind of eager to see how Jeff and Shade adjust to having a Keep.”

“Unless you want us to leave?” Danny spoke up. “If we’re bothering you—”

“It’s fine, it’s fine,” Elizabeth assured them. “I just know you heroes aren’t exactly fans of the traditions we have here concerning the trials. If you don’t want to be here, we have the Emperor and his rider now, so staying here to protect us from the next power surge isn’t necessary.”

“A little extra help couldn’t hurt.” Jordon hopped off Viral’s back. He looked up at Jeff and Shade. “How are you guys settling in?”

Shade whipped his head around to glare at Jordon. His glowing white eyes almost seemed to bore into Jordon’s soul. It sent a chill up his spine.

“Seems pretty okay,” Matt called from where he sat on Saint’s back. “They’re gonna be a little on edge for a while. Don’t take it personally if they snap at you.”

“Noted.” Dylan, Dove, and Grenade all hopped off Monarch and stared up at Shade. “So... when do these power surges usually happen?”

“They are quite sporadic,” Elizabeth said. “They can happen at random times. Sometimes there are weeks between surges, sometimes there are just hours. We never know.”

Jorel looked down as bright cyan lines began to twist across the stone floor. Everyone backed up as the trapdoor appeared. Hera, the woman with a stick from the Grove of Loss, poked her head out of the stairwell that led into the warrior lady’s prison. Red lines slashed across her face at random, which only heightened her furious expression. 

“She’s fucking gone,” Hera snapped. 

Elizabeth’s smile stiffened. “I’m sorry, what?”

“Arina’s gone,” Hera repeated. 

Matt raised an eyebrow. “Arina?”

“Is that the name of the woman you keep underground?” George asked. 

Elizabeth gave a curt nod, that oddly menacing smile still on her face. “And how, exactly, did she get out?”

“I don’t know. But you wanna see what I fucking found down there?”

Hera walked up the stairs and into the Keep. She held up a shiny silver cloak. Jorel’s breath caught in his throat when he saw the pink numerals on the back. 

It was Aron’s cloak. 

Elizabeth’s smile wilted into a grimace. “Ah. It appears I was... incorrect about Arina’s brother. It looks like he found his way back after all.”

Dylan’s eyes widened. “Brother?”

Jorel stared at her as her words sank in. “But... but Aron can’t have a sister. Aron’s like me. He doesn’t have a family.”

“Oh, I assure you, he fucking does.” Hera tossed Aron’s cloak to the ground. “And now that they’re back together, there isn’t anything that could stand in their way of destroying all of us.” She whirled around to face Elizabeth. “I told you having these people here was a bad idea! You never listen to me!”

Elizabeth clenched her jaw. “Glass houses, Hera. Aren’t you the one always disregarding what _I_ tell _you?”_

Hera opened her mouth to speak, but no words came out. She opened and closed her mouth like a fish floundering in air. She finally clamped her lips shut and glared at the ground. She grumbled something under her breath and stormed out of the stairwell.

Jorel stared after her as she stomped towards her dragon near the edge of the circle of rocks. This new information about Aron was still processing in his head. “So what do we do?” he asked.

Elizabeth narrowed her eyes. “We start setting up defenses.”

* * *

Aron stared in wonder at the towering black castle in front of them. “You’re kidding, right?”

Arina shook her head. “Nope. I made this. It took a while to get everything perfect, but I made this place with my powers.” She gestured towards the castle with one hand. “You could do something like this, too.”

Aron blinked. “You’ve gotta be kidding.” He exchanged a glance with Nine. Nine looked just as mesmerized as he felt.

Arina started forward with a grin on her face. “Come on! There’s someone I want you to meet!”

Aron hesitated, but he and Nine ran after her. They had flown to a mountain with Arina’s direction, and Aron concluded that she had never flown before, because she was squealing with excitement the whole time. She directed them towards a mountain, and they’d landed on a path leading up to this huge black castle that Arina said she created.

Something skittered towards Arina along the path. Before Aron could process what it was, it leaped at Arina. It squeaked and scampered up and down her leg.

Arina turned to look at Aron. “This is Eleven.”

The creature paused and perched on Arina’s shoulder. It was a dragon that looked similar to Tiger in shape and size, with a long body and six smaller wings, but this one’s scales were dark blue and shiny. Its bright cyan eyes sparked with electricity as it stared at Aron and Nine in curiosity.

“Nice to meet you,” Aron said. The dragon nodded in response.

Aron and Nine looked back up at the huge castle in front of them. “So, what is this place?” Aron asked.

Arina smiled. “Home.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> i keep forgetting how much i actually enjoy working on this fic until i proofread a chapter before posting it
> 
> anyway i've got PLANS for this fic, anyone who's still reading this better get ready to cry at some point


	29. Nightmare

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> i hope y'all had a Hollywood Christmas and an Undead New Year!!! in other news, i just finished writing my really long Sanders Sides fic, so while i'm planning for the sequel to that i should have some more time to work on this fic. DESPERATELY hoping that i can work my way up to consistently updating this every two weeks but that doesn't seem likely
> 
> Last chapter: Danny went through his trial at the Restless Spire, and Dylan completed his own trial in the No-Way-Out Caves. Dylan is now on his way to complete his next trial with the intention of completing all five. Meanwhile, Jeffrey and Matt are going back to Matt's Keep to see if they can get Matt to remember anything, while Arina and Aron are searching for a place from Aron's past so they can get him to regain his own memories.

**Present Day**

“Are you okay, Matt?”

Matt blinked and looked over at Jeffrey. They were flying side by side on Shade and Saint. Matt and Saint had been flying in a straight line for the past fifteen minutes, pulled along by some strange feeling that was guiding them across the land. It was hard to tell exactly where they would end up, but Matt and Saint weren’t going to stop flying until they got there.

Matt nodded in response to Jeff’s question. “Yeah. Yeah, I’m good.”

“You sure? You’ve been staring into space since we left. Something on your mind?”

Matt hesitated. There were a few things on his mind, but he wasn’t sure if he wanted to dump any of it on Jeff. Jeff had his own issues to deal with. Besides, Matt didn’t know Jeff as well as he used to. What if Jeff was only asking to be polite?

 _Oh, just tell him,_ Saint’s voice rumbled as if she sensed his apprehension. _Nothing bad will happen if you confide in him. He isn’t evil anymore, anyway._ Claire grunted in agreement from where she lay behind Matt.

Matt sighed. “Well, I know we’re going to mine and Saint’s Keep to see if anything will bring back my memories. I’m just... I’m a little afraid that I won’t like what I find out.”

Jeff looked down at Shade, who just shrugged. Jeff took a deep breath. “Honestly, I can’t guarantee you will like everything you see when we get there. I hated a lot of the shit I found out about my past. Just please keep in mind that you get to choose what you accept from your past. It’s your life, so it’s your decision.”

Matt still wasn’t reassured by that. He didn’t particularly want to take advice from a man who hardly had his life together and was delirious from sleep deprivation.

However, he just smiled and nodded at Jeff. “Okay. Thanks.”

He turned back to the horizon in front of them. Saint sighed. _Matthew, I know you’re anxious to find out who you used to be, but please, relax. You weren’t like Jeffrey. You never did anything awful. At least, not to my knowledge. I didn’t know you for your whole life. Claire? Has he ever done anything bad?_

Claire just huffed and shrugged in response. _She doesn’t seem to know,_ Saint mused. _Granted, she didn’t know you for your entire life, either. Just don’t stress about it, Matthew. You’ll find out in due time._

Matt took a deep breath. She was right. He would find out who he used to be soon. There was no need to worry about it. He just had to stay patient.

Jeff squinted into the distance. “Hey Matt, I think that’s your Keep just up ahead.”

Both Matt and Saint perked up and followed his gaze. On the horizon was a circle of ruined buildings. Columns stretched towards the sky, and walls sat on the grass in piles of stone. Even though Matt was sure he’d never seen anything like this, the sight of it filled him with a feeling of nostalgia.

He flicked Saint’s reins and she lurched forward, picking up speed as they neared the Keep. “Hey, wait!” Jeff shouted after them.

Matt paid them no mind. He didn’t remember ever being in this place before, but he felt some sort of pull towards it, as if it was somewhere he’d been countless times before. It just felt... familiar.

Saint swooped down and hovered above the ruins. Matt stared down at them. The buildings all looked old, their stone walls riddled with cracks as if they were on the verge of collapsing. Dozens of columns and pillars were dotted throughout the mess of ruined houses, each one either cracked in half or ready to topple over at a moment’s notice. He spotted the remains of an archway scattered over a ruined temple.

In the middle of the ruins was what he assumed was once a large circle of flat land, but right in the centre of the circle was a crater. It looked as though a meteor had crashed into the land and then disappeared.

He heard the flapping of large wings as Shade and Jeff hovered next to them. “Sorry about the crater,” Jeff said. “That was kind of our fault. I mean, you guys attacked us first and almost killed Shade, but in fairness, we did use the last of our stored power to split up the other guys and yeet them all the way across the realm so they couldn’t fight us, so... yeah, I guess trying to kill us was justified.”

Matt barely heard him. He just gazed down at the circle of ruins. A memory tugged at his head, but no matter how hard he tried to grasp it, it stayed just out of his reach.

Saint landed just on the edge of the crater. Her chest swelled as she took a deep breath. _It still looks the same. It’s been so long since I’ve been here. Claire, are you glad to be home?_

Claire hopped off Saint’s back and soared down to the ground. She sniffed at the grass and pawed at the dirt at the edge of the crater. With a happy squeak, she started rolling around in the grass.

Matt let go of Saint’s reins and slid off her back. His boots thudded in the grass. The air smelled of dozens of different kinds of flowers, each familiar scent prickling his senses at once. The grass swished in the breeze and the dirt crunched under his boots as he took a step toward the crater.

“Yeah, it’s been a while,” Jeff mumbled. He hopped onto the ground to join Matt. “It doesn’t look any different, but I wasn’t here often, so what do I know? How did you get here, anyway? I mean, how did this end up being your home? Well, obviously you can’t tell me because you don’t remember, but—”

Jeff’s words almost sounded muffled in Matt’s ears. Home. This was his home. How did this become his home? He felt like he should know. He should know the answer to that.

He was walking before he even realized his legs were moving. He skirted around the edges of the crater, his eyes fixed on one part of the ruins.

 _Matthew, are you alright?_ Saint’s voice asked.

He waved a hand dismissively as he reached the ruins. He hopped over a short fence, landing in a tiny patch of wildflowers.

“Matty?” Jeff called. His footsteps thudded on the grass as he followed after Matt. “What’s going on? You good, fam?”

His voice blended with a dozen others that swam through Matt’s head. He vaguely remembered walking this way with a bunch of other people, the other heroes, maybe.

 _“He didn’t tell me the Imperial had a rider,”_ Dylan’s voice said in his head, _“but he said that two Great Dragons should be able to take this guy down.”_

Matt shook his head. He couldn’t remember Dylan ever saying that to him, but the thought of walking through these ruins with the others was all too familiar.

He passed under a crumbling archway. Another fragment of a memory flashed across his mind and he stumbled.

_Matty almost tripped over his own feet as he followed the white and orange dragon through the ruins. “Wait!” he called. He struggled to clamber over a stone fence, his short kid legs hardly long enough to step over it. He wasn’t fast enough to follow this creature when it was running so quick!_

_He finally got over the fence and looked ahead. The dragon chirped at him and ran under a crumbling archway. He pouted in frustration. Why couldn’t it wait for him?_

_Matty ran under the archway and skidded to a stop when he saw where the dragon had led him. “Wow,” he whispered._

Matt stared up at the large stone house he’d led himself to. Unlike the rest of the buildings in the ruins, this one had no cracks, as if someone had stayed here and taken care of it. A small flowerbed bloomed at the front of the house under a window.

Jeff caught up to Matt and stopped next to him. “Oh hey, it’s a house. I don’t remember seeing this when I was here. Hey, I never really apologized for wrecking up your home and everything so...”

Matt walked towards the house. The doorway was much wider than what would be considered normal, and it occurred to him that he’d made the doorway that big so Claire could go in. The rhododendrons and tansies in the flowerbed shifted with the breeze.

He opened the door and another memory slapped him in the face.

_Claire trotted along behind Matt as he entered the house. She hopped onto the couch and nestled into the cushions, purring. She was just barely small enough to fit on the large couch._

_He took his bag off his shoulder and set it on the ground. “You okay with soup for supper?”_

_Claire chirped in affirmation. Matt turned back to the door. “I’m gonna go fly with Saint before I get started on the food. Don’t burn the house down while I’m gone.”_

Matt stared at the room in front of him. The air smelled musty, as if it had been wallowing in dust for ages. A cluster of couches and chairs sat near the opposite wall. To his right was a wooden counter and a fire stove, and to the left was a dining table. A few doors were set in the wall. He stared at one of them.

_Dylan tapped his foot impatiently. “How hot is the knife?”_

_Matt pulled the small blade out of the fire. “Ain’t the hottest, but it’ll work.” He held it out._

_Dylan took the knife, careful not to touch the metal, and rushed back into the room. He and Jordon exchanged a few brief, incomprehensible words before silence fell once again._

_A scream burst from the room, startling the other three almost out of their seats. It sounded oddly muffled, like someone was shrieking through a piece of cloth. Jordon shouted something to Dylan, but it was barely audible over the sound of Danny’s agony._

_“Fucking god,” Matt muttered as Danny’s scream died out._

Matt shook his head, the echoes of that agonized scream echoing in his mind. Danny had gotten hurt here. Jordon had helped him. But how had he gotten hurt in the first place? Was it from that trial he did in the Restless Spire?

No, that had been something else. He got hurt before that. What had happened after Danny’s trial?

_“¡No podemos seguir así!” Dylan shouted. “¡Danny está herido! ¡Él casi muere!”_

_George stared at Dylan as if he had grown a second head. “Dylan, for the last fucking time: I. Don’t. Understand. Spanish,” he said, annunciating each word by snapping his fingers in Dylan’s face._

_Dylan smacked George’s hand away. “¡Jódete! ¡Perra egocéntrica!”_

Matt grimaced at the memory of George and Dylan fighting. What were they fighting about?

He found himself walking to the door he’d been eying. He shoved the door open and walked into the room beyond.

_Matty leaned out the window of the room, smiling as the huge purple and yellow dragon leaned down to sniff at him. He giggled as its large snout snuffled his hair. Its teeth were huge and sharp, and it could easily snap him up in one bite, but he wasn’t afraid of it. He hadn’t been scared even when he’d seen it for the first time._

_Claire scurried up to stand next to him, chirping happily. He scratched her on the back as she stuck her own snout out the window to sniff the bigger dragon._

Matt stared out the window. The bedroom he’d stepped into looked like it hadn’t been used in months. The white sheets on the bed were messy, hanging off the mattress, as if someone had scrambled out of bed in a hurry and not bothered to tidy up before they left the room. A fine layer of dust covered everything, including the small fireplace at the other end of the room.

Matt turned and rushed out of the room, pushing past a confused looking Jeffrey. “Whoa, Matty, where are you—?”

Matt ignored him and made a beeline for the front door. He stepped outside and made his way back to the centre of the Keep, _his_ Keep, stepping over stone fences and walking under crumbling archways.

He hurried out of the ruins and skidded to a stop in the Keep.

_Matt stared up at Saint. He hadn’t realized what she was. He’d first seen her when he was a kid. He’d never learned about the Great Dragons._

_Now that he knew, it seemed silly that he hadn’t known before. She radiated power and strength, and she had from the moment Matt first saw her. It was ridiculous that he hadn’t figured it out before._

_Saint lowered her head down to his level. He hesitated, but he reached out and gently laid a hand on her snout._

_Saint’s eyes glowed a bright violet. Her translucent yellow wings shimmered in the sunlight. As he stared into those bright, glowing eyes, a voice spoke in his head, one he’d never heard before, but sounded oddly familiar nonetheless._

_“Fly with me.”_

Matt stood in the Keep, the fabric of his cloak swishing in the wind. This was his home. He belonged here.

With that last thought, everything went black.

* * *

Aron and Arina were both relatively silent as they flew through the air. Searching for Angel’s Circle proved to be more difficult than Aron had originally anticipated.

However, it hadn’t taken a whole lot for Aron to eventually find his way there. It was more difficult to locate due to the shifted land, but the landscape of mountains eventually became familiar. He guided Nine down to the ground and they landed in front of a cluster of tall black rocks , all angled inward over the entrance of a cave that sat in the base of a towering mountain.

Arina slid off Nine’s back, Eleven curled around her shoulders. “Wow.” She gazed up at the rocks with a look of awe. “Looks like you figured out your powers back then. At least a little bit.”

Aron nodded. He stepped towards the rocks and reached out to touch them. It was strange to think of the fact that he had made these a thousand years ago without even knowing what those powers would mean for his future.

He touched the black stone. It buzzed under his fingers with an intense energy that felt all too familiar. Pink bolts of electricity crackled around his fingers.

_Aron stared up at the entrance to Angel’s Circle as Nine stood beside him. Nine cocked his head in confusion, as if asking Aron a question._

_“I have to close it off,” Aron said. “There’s someone else in the Swan’s Nest and I don’t want them finding this.”_

_Nine shrugged and stepped back. Aron flicked a hand upward, and a dozen black spikes burst from the ground and covered up the entrance to the cave. The ground shook as the rocks rose from the dirt and clustered over the cave._

_Aron turned around to face Nine. “Let’s go find these intruders.”_

The memory flashed by as quick as the lightning sparking around his fingers. He moved his hand to the side of the rock leaned against the other black spikes. He pushed on it experimentally, and to his surprise, the rock began to tilt the other way. He took his hand off it, a little shocked.

Aron glanced back. Arina, Nine, and Eleven watched him eagerly, waiting to see he would do next.

He turned back to the rocks. He put his hand back on the one he’d started to move and pushed on it with all his might. It practically flew in the other direction, crackling with pink sparks as it shifted like the hand of a clock. The spike was now angled the other way.

Aron stared at the rest of the spikes. He grit his teeth and started forward.

He pushed at another spike and it shot in the other direction. He shoved another to the side. Another one, he didn’t even touch. He just made a shoving motion in its direction and it tilted over. He made the same motion to another rock, then another, then another. Each one moved out of his way immediately. He didn’t slow his pace at all. The rocks moved as soon as he told them to.

He pushed the last one out of the way and stopped in his tracks. The entrance to a cave sat in front of him.

He turned around to face Arina and Nine. The spikes he’d moved now lined the pathway to the entrance, angled outward as if ready to impale anyone who came close.

Arina and Nine walked up to him. Both were grinning.

Arina rushed forward and grabbed Aron’s hand, dragging him into the cave. “Let’s see what’s inside!”

He yelped as she pulled him into the cave. Nine skittered after them.

Aron stared at the walls as he and Arina made their way into the cave. The tunnel they were in was lined with torches that flickered with bright pink flames.

_Aron wobbled as he almost lost his balance. Granted, using one of his obsidian spikes as a stepping stool wasn’t always the best idea, but he was sure he’d manage._

_Nine squeaked in concern. “I’m fine, bud,” Aron assured him. Pink flames flickered on the torch in his hands and he fixed it into the sconce he’d put in the wall. “There. Now we’ve got some light, at least.”_

Aron shook the memory from his head as he walked alongside Arina. Everything felt so familiar, yet he couldn’t recall ever being in this place in his life. Well, not in this life at least.

“You must have made those,” Arina whispered, staring up at the pink torches. “They’re still burning after a thousand years.”

“I guess so,” Aron muttered.

They continued on through the tunnel. The walls widened outward into a large circular stone cave. The torches were gone, plunging them into darkness as soon as they left the tunnel.

“What’s in here?” Arina whispered.

Aron walked into the cave. A dark silhouette of what might have been a large rock sat right in the middle. He made his way towards it, but he almost tripped over something on his way there. He whirled around to see what it was.

It was hard to tell in the darkness, but it looked like the thing he nearly fell over was a lever of some sort. He hesitated, but he stepped towards it. He grasped it with one hand and pulled.

_Aron yelped in fear as the entire cavern began to tremble. He let go of the lever and stepped back. Nine squeaked in alarm and skittered in place. Aron half expected the entire cave to come crashing down on them._

_A beam of sunlight poured in from the ceiling. A bright pink glow suddenly filled the cavern. Aron squinted in the sudden light, rubbing his eyes to help them adjust as the cave stopped shaking. Nine chirped, and Aron heard Nine’s claws scratching against the stone floor as he scampered around the cave._

_Aron slowly opened his eyes. He gasped in wonder at the sight before him. “Whoa.”_

A beam of sunlight pointed straight down from the ceiling and hit a large, pink crystal in the centre of the cavern. The light reflected off the many sides of the crystal, sending dozens of streams of pink light bouncing around the cave to other, smaller crystals in the walls. Circling the large crystal in the middle were more crystals, and each one glowed pink from the sunlight. The entire room was bathed in a warm, sunset-like hue.

And it was the most beautiful thing he’d ever seen.

Arina turned in a circle, staring up at the cavern walls. “Wow,” she whispered. “Aron, this is gorgeous. You used to live here?”

Aron barely heard her. He had been here before, hadn’t he? He was sure he remembered being here, but at the same time, he couldn’t. Memories popped up, but he couldn’t tell if they were recent or old.

_Nine leaped from wall to wall, chirping happily along the way. Aron ignored him and leaned against the largest crystal in the centre of the cave, still sketching in his notebook. He found himself half-heartedly wishing he’d gone with Jorel to take those reading lessons when they were younger, but reading was for nobles anyway. Aron didn’t really give a shit. Besides, he could clearly tell what had happened that day from the drawing he was making. Having a written diary would just be pointless._

_However, there wasn’t really much that had happened that day, other than a visit to the Black Dahlia Fields. There was never much to do around here._

_He heard a squeak of a dragon and looked up. Well, there was the little group of parentless hatchlings they’d found, but that wasn’t exactly an uncommon occurrence. Many baby dragons without parents sat in one place and cried and screeched until someone found them, and it was usually Aron and Nine who found them._

_One of the hatchlings shambled over to Aron and lied down on his lap, nudging his notebook out of his hands. He sighed, but he scratched it on the head with one hand. Drawing could wait._

Nine trotted up to Aron and sat down. His transparent blue wings glimmered in the light, painting them a beautiful magenta, and the pink gemstones that riddled his crystalline hide reflected the bright pink light. He almost blended in with the cave. He could have been just another crystal if Aron wasn’t paying attention.

Nine squeaked and nudged Aron. His pink eyes stared at Aron intently, asking him a silent question: _do you remember this place?_

And as Aron gazed around the room and a dozen memories flooded into his mind all at once, he found that he had an answer: _yes_.

And he wasn’t ever going to let himself forget it again.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> can you tell i didn't bother to proofread this chapter at all


	30. Vision

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> hi hello i finished writing another chapter so i decided to post, have this absolute garbage fire
> 
> Last time: Matt and Jeffery visited Matt's old home from a thousand years ago, causing Matt to remember his past life. Meanwhile, Aron and Arina embarked on a similar task, visiting important places from Aron's past in order to jog his memory. The rest of the heroes are currently going through a series of trials throughout Angeles in order to regain the powers they had a thousand years ago and make it easier to defeat Aron and Arina.

George couldn’t relax no matter how hard he tried.

He kept his grip tight on Monarch’s reins as they flew over the warped land. The entire island looked like a mashed mess of ruins, mountains, and forests. The weather had turned cold, and the wind bit through his clothes, chilling him to the bone. He wasn’t ready to go through his trial yet. He was sure he would die, either by freezing to death or getting run through by an icy soldier’s sword.

 _You’ll be fine, George,_ Monarch’s voice rumbled. He must have sensed his rider’s unease. _You did this once, you can do it again._

George nodded. “I hope so.” He glanced back at Jorel, who was sitting far away from George on Monarch’s back. “Jorel!” he called.

Jorel looked up at George, his gaze almost as chilly as the air. “What?” he shouted back.

“We’re almost there. When I’m doing my trial, you need to stay out. You should make a fire and keep it going so you and Tiger can stay warm. I’m going to be freezing as soon as I get out, so I’m gonna be counting on you to keep me from dying.”

Jorel just nodded. He hadn’t spoken for the entire time they’d been flying, which was only about ten minutes, but still. It was odd for Jorel to be this quiet.

Then again, George hadn’t really spoken to him much, either. He couldn’t stop thinking about how angry Jorel seemed last night when he brought up the things that had happened two thousand years ago. He didn’t know why Jorel was so mad about it. Maybe he just felt like George was in the wrong about what he and Monarch did. Jorel wouldn’t be wrong in that regard. Attacking and killing that many people was unforgivable.

Monarch began to descend. _George, I believe we’re here._

George tightened his grip on Monarch’s reins as they swooped down towards a clearing in the wintery forest below. His stomach turned nervously. He wasn’t sure if he was ready for this.

However, he didn’t vocalize his anxiety as Monarch settled on the snowy ground. George stared around the forest. It didn’t look the same as he remembered it. The trees were still barren of leaves, but their branches were crooked, as if they had been torn off and plastered back on in random places. Some of the trees towered above the others as if trying to touch the clouds with their gnarled branches.

George slid off Monarch’s back. Snow passed by his face as it fell, but then he realized that the snowflakes weren’t falling. They were rising from the ground and flying up to the clouds. Snowdrifts around them were pointed at the tops. Flakes clustered around the points and slid off the snowdrifts into the air, like water dripping off a stalactite, but in reverse.

Jorel and Tiger slid off Monarch, staring around them with wide eyes. “This place is freaky,” he whispered.

George nodded. “I don’t know what’s wrong with it.” He took a step and found that it was difficult to keep his feet on the ground, like gravity had reversed and was trying to pull him into the air.

 _George?_ Monarch’s voice rumbled. _Is that God’s Vision?_

George looked up at Monarch to see where he was looking. He followed his gaze to the ground.

In the middle of the ground among the pointed snowdrifts was a huge hole. He skirted around the snowdrifts to examine it closer. It was lined with stone that had been worn down by time and weather. 

He peered down into the hole. He couldn’t even see the bottom.

“Do you have to go in there?” Jorel whispered.

“I think so.” George straightened and stared down at the hole apprehensively. “Do I just... jump in?”

Jorel didn’t respond. He just sighed and walked back towards Monarch. “I’ll get started on a fire.”

George hesitated. He glanced up at Monarch. “What do you think, buddy?”

Monarch huffed and looked down into the hole. _I think you are meant to jump in. You aren’t meant to get hurt trying to get into your trials. That would defeat the purpose of trying to get into them in the first place._

“True.” George hefted his bag on his shoulder. “Well. Wish me luck.”

_Good luck._

George vaulted off the edge. “Whoa, George!” Jorel’s voice called out as he began to fall.

He was falling for only a few seconds when his feet hit solid ground. He landed in a crouch. He winced at the impact, but he looked up at the cave he ended up in.

The large cavern was dimly lit by a blue and purple glow that seemed to come from everywhere. The ceiling arced above him, covered in blue-ish white ice, but there didn’t seem to be any walls. The cavern seemed to go on forever around him. Large jagged stalagmites of ice poked up around him like a forest of ice. 

George straightened. He drew his sword and shield and looked around him. There didn’t seem to be anything dangerous in here at the moment. This was not the same place he remembered. Was this God’s Vision, or was it some other place?

_“Hello, George.”_

George jumped at the sound of the voice. It looked like he’d ended up in the right place after all.

“God’s Vision,” he said. “It’s been a while.”

 _“It sure has.”_ The voice echoed around him, bouncing off the ceiling and piercing through his eardrums. There was no one source of the voice. It sounded like it was coming from all around him. The voice was flat and calm. No emotion rang behind its words.

 _“You’re here for the trial.”_ It wasn’t said as a question.

“I am,” George confirmed. He slowly walked through the forest of icicles. “What am I supposed to do?”

 _“It wouldn’t be a trial if I told you how to pass,”_ the voice stated.

“How am I supposed to complete it if I don’t know what to do?”

_“You remember what happened last time. I told you what to do. You didn’t do it anyway. You were quite foolish back then.”_

“You’re not really wrong about that.” He shifted his grip on his sword. “Do you have any advice at least?”

The voice didn’t reply for a second. _“You’re a stubborn man, George Ragan. Once you fixate on an opinion, it takes a lot to make you change your mind. A thousand years ago, you were too stubborn to yield in a fight. You believed you were at your best in battle and you had no other useful skills. Now you’ve fixated on another thing.”_

George furrowed his brow as he continued to walk through the spikes of ice. “What do you mean?”

_“You’ll have to figure it out on your own, George. Let’s start with this.”_

He stepped past another ice spike and was almost impaled by a blade. He yelped and skittered back. A humanoid form made of ice stepped out from behind the spike and hefted its icy sword, a shield strapped to its other arm. A hooded cloak made of frost fluttered on its shoulders.

The soldier rushed towards him. He raised his shield just as the sword swung down at him. He grimaced from the impact.

He shoved the soldier back with his shield and backed up, feet planted in a defensive stance. The soldier stumbled from the push. It flailed its arms to regain its balance.

 _“What are you waiting for?”_ the voice scoffed. _“Strike.”_

George clenched the hilt of his sword. He knew this thing wasn’t alive, but he didn’t want to fight. He’d hurt too many people in the past. He didn’t want to hurt anyone else.

The soldier lunged for him. It jabbed its sword at his head and he parried it with his own blade. Ice shards flew as the swords clashed. George pulled away and raised his shield just as the soldier swiped down at his head. Its icy blade clanged on the metal. He kicked out at its legs and it tumbled to the ground.

He backed further away. He should have known this place would throw a battle at his head the second he got in here. That’s exactly what happened last time.

 _“George,”_ the voice said. _“It would take nothing to win this battle. What do you stall for?”_

George grit his teeth. He knew he had to beat this thing, but he just couldn’t force himself to fight back. This thing was too human, its movements too fluid to just be a robotic creature made for a combat trial. Thinking about hurting it just to protect himself made him feel awful. Jorel already thought he was a murderer. George didn’t want to cement that view in Jorel’s head.

The soldier scrambled to its feet. It hefted its grip on its weapons and stared at him, searching for an opening. It lunged, and he ducked as the soldier’s sword swung over his head. He raised his shield and the icy blade clanged against it. The sound rang in George’s ears as he quickly scampered out of the way of the soldier’s blade.

 _“What are you waiting for?”_ the voice asked. _“Just fight back. It’s not that hard.”_

George hesitated, gazing at the icy soldier. He straightened out of his battle stance and shook his head. “No. I can’t. I don’t want to fight anymore.”

The soldier stared at him with its blank, eyeless face. _“Really? You’re done fighting?”_ the voice said. The soldier was still for a moment.

Then it too stood up straight, lowering its weapons. “You’re quite pathetic, you know that, right?” said the voice, but now it sounded closer, more physical, like it was coming from the icy soldier instead of the room around him.

George shrugged. “Yeah, maybe I am. Go ahead, call me a coward. I just don’t want to be seen as a killer anymore.”

The soldier cocked its head. “The great warrior, George Ragan, doesn’t want to fight? Strange. I never thought I’d see the day.” It sheathed its sword at its left hip and slung its shield over its back. It began walking through the forest of ice spikes. “Walk with me, Ragan.”

George sheathed his own weapons, a little surprised at the turn of events. He hurried after the ice soldier and slowed to meet its pace. “Where are we going?”

The soldier walked at the same pace as he did, their movements falling into sync without either of them even really trying. “This trial is meant to use the art of combat to help its participants see things about themselves they are having trouble with. Last time, you were too stubborn to give up anything, so I presented you with a battle you would be forced to lose. If you didn’t yield, you would have stayed frozen in that snowy landscape in your mind and died before your friend found you in the cave.”

“So that battle was in my head?” George asked. “I knew it wasn’t real.”

“It was real to an extent,” the soldier said. “Just not in a physical sense.”

George gaze around the cavern they were in. “Is this physically real?”

“Yes and no. Angeles has returned, and as such, whatever your friend did a thousand years ago tampered with the land. This is a plane of existence between the physical and imaginary. Anyone who comes in here will see it differently due to the way people perceive things. You expected a snowy landscape under the ground, so that’s what you see. I’d be curious to know how the perception of your friends would change this place. Perhaps we’ll see.”

George rested his left hand on the hilt of his sword. The soldier did the same with its own weapon. “So, what’s the trial about this time?” George asked. “Regarding me, I mean.”

“You are too hesitant,” the soldier said. “You’re afraid of hurting people. Back then, Monarch was all you had. You were brash and abrasive. You weren’t as afraid of losing your control. Now things are different. Now you have something to lose.”

Snow drifted across the ground, but George didn’t feel any wind. The snow swirled into tall piles, taking shapes that gradually became familiar.

The two of them stopped walking. The snowdrifts had morphed into the forms of Asia and Ava, Asia holding Chloe to her chest. A few other snowdrifts had taken on the forms of the other members of Hollywood Undead, and oddly enough, Matt and Jeff were included. All of the snowdrifts were frozen in place, talking and laughing with each other as if taken right out of a photo.

The white forms of his friends and family blew away as quickly as they had formed. He and the soldier continued walking through the landscape. “You don’t want to take things too far,” the soldier said. “You don’t want to hurt anyone.” It sighed. “I wanted to force you into a fight you would lose if you didn’t fight back. But you’re still too stubborn to play along. Making you fight me is not going to make you feel any better. It’s not the best approach this time around.”

“I don’t see what’s so wrong with taking a pacifist route this time,” George pointed out. “What’s wrong with me not wanting to fight? These people I’m fighting used to be my friends. I don’t want to hurt them. Besides, Jorel would hate me if I did, and everyone else would just see me as a murderer.” He grimaced. “They wouldn’t be wrong.”

“You’ve stuck yourself on this concept that if you fight back, you’re a bad person,” the soldier explained. “A thousand years ago, you were too pushy. Now you’re not pushy enough. There is a balance. There are some battles you can’t win, but there are some you have to keep fighting. I tried to show you that after you yielded when you were back in the cave. I pushed you to hold out until Jorel found you. That was a battle you had to keep fighting. And you were fighting that battle in order to save yourself.”

George blinked, processing the soldier’s words. “But how do I know the difference? How do I know when I need to give up and when I need to fight?”

The soldier shrugged. “Sometimes you need to make that distinction for yourself. Violence is not always the answer, but sometimes, when you’re facing an enemy as powerful as the ones you’re going to be facing, you have to fight them. Don’t hold back, because they won’t, either. They will hurt or kill you any chance they get. You need to show them that you’re not afraid to do it back.”

“But what if I am? Afraid, I mean.”

The soldier turned its head to look at him with its featureless face. “Then act like you’re not. And soon enough, you’ll believe it, too. There’s a modern saying nowadays that I believe applies to this situation. Fake it ‘til you make it?”

“That’s the one.”

“If you make them think you will be a formidable opponent, you will eventually believe it, too. Pick your battles wisely. Don’t go running headfirst into every fight, but don’t back out of every one that is presented to you. Sometimes you will make the wrong decision. Sometimes you will run into a fight you shouldn’t have entered, and sometimes you will back out of a fight you could have easily won. My point is...”

The soldier stopped walking, and George stopped with it. “Do not be afraid to show your strength,” it said. “You are very capable of winning your battles. No one else who participated in my trials had ever gotten up to five soldiers before. That says something. You are determined, brave, and strong. You are a good leader, and no matter what you do, know that your team looks to you as an example. If you fight, they will too. And they will be right by your side to hold you back or push you forward.”

The soldier reached across its body and drew its icy sword. It held the weapon out to George. “I want you to keep my words in mind when you go back to your friends.”

George hesitated. He felt like he didn’t deserve to be the leader of the heroes. Not after he’d hurt and killed so many people in the past.

However, he reached out and took the hilt of the sword. The grip was cold, but not nearly as freezing as he’d thought it would be. “I will,” he said.

The soldier nodded in satisfaction and stepped back. “Good. Oh, and George?”

George looked up at the soldier. “Yeah?”

“You will lose some of the battles you choose to fight, but that doesn’t mean you’ve lost the war. Sometimes, sacrifices need to be made in order to win.”

George stared at the soldier, wondering what it meant by that. But before he could ask any further questions, the soldier crumbled into shards of ice at his feet.

George looked down at the sword it had given him. It was almost an exact replica of his own blade, but this one was just made of ice.

He slung the sword over his back with his shield. A thin icy rope twined around his torso to hold it in place. He shifted it on his back to move it into a comfortable position. He offhandedly wished the soldier had given him something a bit smaller so he didn’t have to lug around an entirely new weapon, but he would take what he could get.

George looked up. The hole he’d fallen down was right above him, as if he hadn’t moved from his original spot at all.

He flicked his hand upward. A ladder made of ice shot upward towards the exit. At least he had his ice powers back.

He began to climb.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> i may or may not have just watched Frozen 2 before i wrote this chapter and i feel like that shows


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